REESE  LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Class 


The  Literature  of  the  Louisiana 
Territory 


THE  LITERATURE 

OF  THE 

LOUISIANA  TERRITORY 


BY 


ALEXANDER  NICOLAS  DEMENIL 

u 

A.M.,  PH.D.,  LL.B 


ST.  LOUIS,  MISSOURI 
THE  ST.  LOUIS  NEWS  COMPANY,  PUBLISHER 

1904 


Copyright,  1904 
ALEXANDER  NICOLAS  DEMENIL 


March 


Nixon-Jones  Ptg.  Co.,  215  Pine  St.,  St.  Louis. 


TO 
THE  HONORABLE  MEMBERS  OF  THE 

BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS 

OF  THE 
LOUISIANA  PURCHASE  EXPOSITION  COMPANY, 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED  AS 
A  TESTIMONIAL  OF 

THE  MANY  PLEASANT  AND  PROFITABLE  HOURS 
PASSED  IN  THEIR  COMPANY  BY 

A  FELLOW-DIRECTOR. 


PREFACE. 

A  large  number  of  histories  of  the  Louisiana 
Territory  have  been  published  within  the  past 
year,  and  several  new  ones  are  announced  as 
shortly  forthcoming.  But  no  one  has  written  a 
history  of  the  literature  of  the  Territory  and  the 
states  and  territories  that  have  been  carved  out 
of  Jefferson's  great  and  wise  purchase.  Indeed, 
I  do  not  believe  that  in  our  numerous  reviews, 
magazines,  literary  journals  and  daily  news 
papers,  a  single  article  has  appeared  on  the 
subject. 

This  book,  is,  therefore,  a  pioneer  study.  I 
have  blazed  the  trail  through  old  bookshops  and 
public  and  private  libraries  from  Minnesota  to 
Louisiana,  hunted  in  many  a  virgin  field  hitherto 
unexplored,  and  used  the  newspaper  reporter's 
art  of  interviewing.  I  therefore  do  not  hesitate 
to  assert  that  a  large  amount  of  the  data  and  the 
facts  contained  in  this  work,  is  placed  before 
the  reading  public  for  the  first  time. 

Furthermore,  I  have  traveled  the  old  paths 
and  availed  myself  of  such  information  as  could 
be  gleaned  from  encyclopedias,  biographical, 
critical  and  literary  works,  besides  devoting 
almost  a  year  to  the  examination  of  hundreds  of 
books  by  the  writers  of  the  Territory,  past  and 

"  (vii) 


VI 11  PREFACE. 

present,  and  the  bound  files  of  many  newspapers 
published  in  the  thirties,  forties  and  fifties. 

By  the  term  "Louisiana  Territory  "  is  meant 
not  only  that  section  of  the  United  States  which 
was  formerly  known  as  the  Louisiana  Territory, 
but  also  the  fourteen  states  and  territories  that 
have  been  created  out  of  the  Louisiana  Territory. 
After  a  lapse  of  one  hundred  and  one  years, 
these  states  and  territories  are  once  more  bound 
together  in  one  common  brotherhod  of  purpose 
and  achievement  by  the  great  Exposition  of  the 
present  year,  where  in  brotherly  contention  and 
friendly  rivalry  they  will  strive  to  demonstrate 
to  the  world  the  wisdom  of  the  timely  and  mag- 

«/  O 

nificent  purchase  of  Thomas  Jefferson. 

In  this  demonstration  —  nay,  proof,  shall  their 
intellectual  development,  as  exemplified  by  their 
literature,  of  which  they  have  a  just  right  of 
pride,  be  excluded? 

No  claim  is  made  of  the  presentation  of  a  com 
plete  and  conclusive  record.  Indeed,  so  wide 
and  extensive  is  the  field,  that  after  gathering 
my  material,  I  deemed  it  wise  not  to  avail  my 
self  of  a  considerable  portion  of  it.  I  have 
striven  to  preserve  only  what,  in  my  judgment, 
is  most  important  or  most  typical  of  the  great 
section  of  the  country  of  which  I  write.  I  only 
regret  that  the  carelessness,  or  indifference  — 
whichever  it  may  be  —  of  some  of  the  more 
prominent  authors,  has  deprived  me  of  furnish 
ing  the  reader  with  a  more  intimate  view  of 
their  inner  lives. 


PREFACE.  IX 

Many  prominent  writers  will  seem  to  the 
reader  as  unjustly  omitted  from  the  list  drawn 
upon  for  this  work.  The  names  of  Hamlin 
Garland,  Lafeadio  Hearne,  Winston  Churchill, 
Edgar  Wilson  Nye,  Jessie  Benton  Fremont, 
Clara  Erskine  Waters,  Kate  Field  and  a  num 
ber  of  others,  will  present  themselves  in  this 
connection.  In  answer  I  will  state  that  I  have 
carefully — and  even  laboriously  —  investigated 
the  status,  as  to  birth  and  residence,  of  every 
writer  of  any  prominence  who  had  even  as  much 
as  the  shadow  of  a  claim  to  be  considered  as 
belonging  to  any  of  the  fourteen  states  and 
territories  carved  out  of  the  Louisiana  Territory, 
and  in  no  case  have  I  excluded  anyone  until 
firmly  convinced  that  he,  or  she,  as  the  case 
might  be,  had  no  just  claim  to  representation,  - 
a  position  whose  correctness  was  confirmed  by 
the  writers  themselves  in  some  twenty  cases  in 
which  I  wrote  to  them  personally,  submitting 
my  doubts  on  the  subject. 

Before  closing  this  already  too  lengthy  pero 
ration,  I  desire  to  make  acknowledgment  of  my 
indebtedness,  and  to  convey  my  sense  of  appre 
ciation  for  the  courtesies  extended  to  me  by 
Mr.  Thomas  P.  Thompson,  a  private  book  collec 
tor,  and  Mr.  William  Beer,  the  librarian  of  the 
Howard  and  the  Fisk  libraries,  both  of  New 
Orleans, —  for  information  readily  furnished  me 
and  the  use  of  books  consulted;  and  also,  to  the 
proprietors  of  the  Mercantile  Library  of  St. 
Louis,  and  Mr.  Henry  H.  Goedeke,  one  of  the 


X  PREFACE. 

efficient  clerks  of  the  said  library,  for  books  and 
rare  magazines  loaned  to  me  with  commendable 
liberality. 

If  this  book  will  stimulate  others  to  make  far 
ther  and  deeper  researches  into  the  literature  of 
the  Western  and  Southern  states  which  were 
combined  in  the  Louisiana  Territory,  I  shall  feel 
fully  repaid  for  the  time  and  labor  it  has 
required  at  my  hands. 

ALEXANDER  NICOLAS  DE  MENIL. 
ST.  Louis,  March  22,  1904. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

HISTORICAL      SKETCH      OF       THE     LOUISIANA 

TERRITORY       ...                                    ....  17 

EDUCATION    IN  THE  LOUISIANA  TERRITORY      .  34 

THE  EARLIEST  BOOKS      . 40 

THE  FRENCH  AUTHORS 44 

JOHN  JAMES  AUDUBON 

Biographical  Sketch 53 

The  Regulators 55 

The  Mocking-Bird 57 

TIMOTHY  FLINT 

Biographical  Sketch ....  59 

The  Shores  of  the  Ohio 62 

Personal  Appearance  of  Boone 64 

THOMAS  H.  BENTON 

Biographical  Sketch .     .  65 

Character  of  Nathaniel  Macon 68 

The  Duel  between  Randolph  and  Clay       .     .     .  60 

BEVERLY  TUCKER 

Biographical  Sketch 71 

The  Partisan  Leader        73 

HENRY  M.  BRACKENRIDGE 

Biographical  Sketch 77 

St.  Genevieve,  Close  of  18th  Century 80 

HENRY  ROWE  SCHOOLCRAFT 

Biographical   Sketch .84 

Hobbomok 87 

ANGUS  UMPHRAVILLE 

Biographical  Sketch 90 

Birth  of  Missouri 92 

(xi) 


Xll  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

ANGUS  UMPHRAVILLE  —  Continued 

To  the  Mississippi 93 

The  Old  Woman's  Remonstrances 93 

SOLOMON  FRANKLIN  SMITH 

Biographical  Sketch *     .  95 

An  Execution 97 

Anecdotes  of  Andrew  Jackson  Allen 98 

Reply  to  the  Rev.  W.  G.  Elliot  of  St.  Louis  ...  100 

CHARLES  GAYARRE 

Biographical  Sketch 101 

The  Tree  of  the  Dead ...  104 

HUGH  A.  GARLAND 

Biographical  Sketch 107 

Jefferson's  Influence  on  Randolph 109 

Randolph  at  Roanoke 110 

ANNA  PEYRE  DINNIES 

Biographical  Sketch 112 

The  Wife 115 

Wedded  Love 116 

Song 117 

ALBERT  PIKE 

Biographical  Sketch 118 

To  the  Mocking-Bird 121 

To  Diana 122 

FRANCOIS  DOMINIQUE  ROUQUETTE 

Biographical  Sketch 124 

Le  Soir 125 

A  Mrae.  Adele  C***    . 126 

ADRIEN  EMMANUEL  ROUQUETTE 

Biographical  Sketch 127 

Souvenir  de  Kentucky 130 

The  Nook 131 

To  Nature,  my  Mother 132 

NATHANIEL   HOLMES 

Biographical  Sketch 133 

Our  Early  Common  School  System 135 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  Xlll 

THOMAS    B.    THORPE 

Biographical  Sketch 138 

Tom  Owen,  the  Bee -Hunter .140 

EDMUND    FLAGG 

Biographical  Sketch 144 

Our  Early  Commercial  Relations  .     .     .          ...  14(i 

The  Ancient  Mounds  of  the  West     .     .  148 

THE  AUGUST1NS 

Biographical  Sketch 150 

The  St.  Louis  Cathedral 151 

Jackson  Square 153 

EDWARD  D.  NE1LL 

Biographical  Sketch 155 

Pocahontas 157 

The  Legaud  of  Scarlet  Dove     .  158 

Oanktayhee 159 

MRS.  SARAH  A.  DORSEY 

Biographical  Sketch    ....  101 

Governor  Allen  Going  Into  Exile 103 

JULIA  AMANDA  WOOD 

Biographical  Sketch 160 

Moonbeams 107 

There  is  a  Light 169 

LOGAN  URIAH    REAVIS 

Biographical  Sketch 171 

The  Pacific  Coast 173 

The  Grave  of  Bentou 174 

IGNATIUS  DONNELLY x 

Biographical  Sketch 176 

Reform  Needed  ' 178 

The  Forest  Fountain .179 

WILLIAM  TOD  HELMUTH 

Biographical  Sketch 182 

Two  Views  of  Japan 184 

JAMES    K.    HOSMER 

Biographical  Sketch 186 

Berlin  in  Peaceful  Times  189 


XIV  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

WILLIAM    T.    HARRIS 

Biographical  Sketch 191 

The  Educative  Work  at  Missions 193 

SAMUEL  L.  CLEMENS 

Biographical  Sketch 197 

The  Compositor 200 

MARY  ASHLEY  TOWNSEND 

Biographical  Sketch 203 

Creed 205 

The  Bather 206 

DENTON  J.   SNIDER 

Biographical  Sketch 209 

The  Tall  Apple  Tree 212 

Conscience  or  Constitution? 213 

The  Home  of  Diana 214 

GEORGE  W.  CABLE 

Biographical  Sketch 216 

STANLEY  WATERLOO 

Biographical  Sketch 220 

Mother  Coon 222 

JOHN  R.   MUSICK 

Biographical  Sketch 224 

An  Adventure  of  Audubon 226 

MRS.  E.  J.  NICHOLSON 

Biographical  Sketch 229 

Singing  Heart 231 

Hagar 231 

JAMES  W.  BUEL 

Biographical  Sketch 234 

Man 236 

Columbus 238 

MRS.  HENRY  L.  PRESTON 

Biographical  Sketch 240 

Satisfied 242 

Will  He  give  His  Beloved  Sleep? 242 

Is  Literature  Remunerative? 243 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  XV 

ALCEE  FORTIER 

Biographical  Sketch 245 

The  Voudoux .247 

Napoleon 248 

Laraartine 249    \ 

The  French  Language  in  Louisiana 249 

EUGENE  FIELD 

Biographical  Sketch 251 

In  the  Firelight 254 

Sharps  and  Flats 255 

Woman's  Ways 256 

KATE  CHOPIN 

Biographical  Sketch 257 

The  Incendiary        .     , 259 

A  Harbinger 261 

EDGAR  W.  HOWE 

Biographical  Sketch 263 

Early  Recollections 265 

The   Professor 266 

Globe  Philosophy        267 

WILLIS  GEORGE  EMERSON 

Biographical  Sketch 269 

Dedicated  to  My  Old  Sweetheart 270 

The   Conflagration 271 

ALICE  FRENCH 

Biographical  Sketch 273 

The  Short  Story 276 

Miss  Conway's  Horse       277 

EMERSON  HOUGH 

Biographical  Sketch 280 

The  American  Rifle 282 

RUTH  McENERY  STUART 

Biographical  Sketch 286 

Lady:  A  Monologue 288 

An  Easter  Symbol 290 

MARY  N.  MURFREE 

Biographical  Sketch 292 

Ike  Hooden's  Heroism                             295 


XVI  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

MRS.  M.  E.  M.  DAVIS 

Biographical  Sketch 298 

Counsel 300 

The  Passing  of  the  Rose 301 

IRVING  B.  RICHMAN 

Biographical  Sketch 303 

MRS.  SHEPPARD  STEVENS 

Biographical  Sketch 306 

The  Hermit  of  Fouche .  307 

LOUISIANA  AUTHORS 310 

MISSOURI  AUTHORS      ....  319 

IOWA  AUTHORS 331 

MINNESOTA  AUTHORS 337 

KANSAS  AUTHORS .342 

COLORADO,     NEBRASKA,     AND    OTHER 

STATE  AUTHORS    .  349 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  LOUISIANA 
TERRITORY. 

The  success  of  Pizarro  and  Cortez  in  the  new 
world  discovered  by  Christopher  Columbus  a  little 
more  than  a  century  previously,  in  1492,  filled  all 
Spain  with  boundless  dreams  of  wealth  and  ag 
grandizement.  The  New  World  was  a  land  of 
unlimited  possibilities  where  untold  and  hitherto 
undreamt  of  mines  of  gold  and  silver  were  only 
awaiting  the  ownership  of  the  discoverer.  Aye, 
more  than  bounteous  wealth  awaited  the  discov 
erer  ;  the  fountain  of  perpetual  youth  held  out 
its  alluring  fascination  to  the  Spanish  imagina 
tion.  Ponce  de  Leon,  in  search  of  the  great 
human  desideratum,  on  the  8th  of  March,  1512, 
discovered,  and  landed  on,  the  eastern  coast  of 
Florida.  He  did  not  find  the  fountain  of  eternal 
youth  and  rejuvenescence,  but  a  grave  in  Cuba. 

Fernando  De  Soto,  a  military  commander  and 
wealthy  cavalier,  armed  with  the  royal  authority 
of  Charles  V.  to  seize  and  take  possession  of  the 
land  of  Florida,  sailed  from  Spain  with  a  fleet 
of  nine  ships  and  a  retinue  of  more  than  six  hun 
dred  followers.  This  was  early  in  April,  1538. 
The  women  attached  to  the  expedition  were 
landed  at  Havana  where  they  were  to  remain  until 
after  the  conquest  of  Florida.  The  fate  of  an 
expedition  that  carried  in  its  train  courtly  women, 

2  (17) 


18        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

gaily-caparisoned  horses,  trained  bloodhounds  to 
hunt  down  the  rightful  owners  of  a  land  on  their 
own  soil,  and  chains  with  which  to  bind  them, 
could  not  be  a  matter  involved  in  any  degree  of 
doubt.  On  the  25th  day  of  May,  1539,  De  Soto 
anchored  in  the  bay  of  Spiritu  Santo  (now 
Tampa  Bay).  In  the  fall  of  the  following  year 
he  reached  Mobile  and  began  the  enforcement 
of  his  policy  of  subjugation  by  slaughtering  the 
natives. 

After  many  vicissitudes,  and  losses  and  suffer 
ing  on  their  inward  march  into  the  country, in  1541 
they  reached  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  which 
they  ascended  to  a  point  near  where  the  present 
town  of  New  Madrid,  Missouri,  is  situated. 
From  there  they  went  westward  and  camped  on 
the  banks  of  the  Washita  river  during  the  win 
ter.  In  spring  they  descended  the  Mississippi 
to  its  junction  with  the  Red  river.  Here,  over 
taken  by  malaria,  and  hopelessly  discouraged, 
De  Soto  pined  away  and  died.  His  successor, 
Moscosco,  after  a  year  of  painful  effort,  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  with 
three  hundred  and  twenty-two  of  the  original 
band,  sailed  for  Spain  in  1543. 

De  Soto's  expedition  was  the  last  attempt  at 
exploration  and  aggrandizement  made  by  a  Span 
iard  on  the  North  American  continent. 

During  the  succeeding  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  years  no  further  attempt  at  explora 
tion  on  the  North  American  continent  was  made 
by  any  of  the  European  nations.  France  then 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  19 

undertook  the  role  in  which  Spain  had  so  signally 
failed.  Louis  Joliet,  the  son  of  an  humble 
wagon-maker  of  Quebec,  carried  civilization  and 
the  cross  into  the  domain  which  De  Soto  had 
invaded  with  the  firebrand  and  the  bloodhound. 
His  retinue  —  four  woodsmen  and  an  humble 
priest,  Jacques  Marquette.  Louis  XIV.  had 
dreams  of  a  vaster  new  France  than  Canada,  and 
Count  Frontenac,  the  governor  of  Canada,  was 
ordered  to  have  the  Mississippi  river  followed  in 
its  downward  course  and  explored  to  its  outlet. 
Joliet  and  his  five  companions  started  on  an  ex 
pedition  designed  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  royal  command,  on  December  8,  1672. 
They  embarked  on  the  Wisconsin  river  and  on 
June  17,  1673,  they  entered  the  Mississippi  river. 
Some  weeks  later  on  they  came  across  a  band  of 
Arkansas  Indians,  and  from  them  learned  that 
the  Mississippi  river  emptied  into  a  still  larger 
body  of  water  (the  Gulf  of  Mexico).  This  in 
formation  they  carred  back  to  Governor  Fron 
tenac  in  the  fall.  Father  Marquette's  account  of 
the  tour  led  to  his  being  commissioned  by  his 
spiritual  superior  to  establish  a  Catholic  mission 
on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Kaskaskia, 
Illinois.  But  he  did  not  live  long  to  exert  his 
beneficent  influence  upon  the  Indian  tribes  and 
the  rough  Canadian  trappers  and  fur- traders 
within  the  compass  of  his  mission;  the  hard 
ships  and  privations  of  the  rude  life  he  had  led 
during  many  years  had  broken  his  constitution, 
and  he  died  a  few  months  later. 


20        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Next  upon  the  scene  comes  Robert  Cavalier, 
Sieur  de  LaSalle,  who,  from  his  very  youth,  was 
haunted  by  a  dream  of  North  American  explora 
tion  and  conquest.  In  1666,  at  a  little  less  than 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  sailed  from  France 
to  Canada,  and  in  1669  he  started  on  an  explor 
ing  tour.  The  same  year  he  discovered  the 
Ohio  river,  and  in  1670  he  ascended  to  the  head 
of  Lake  Michigan.  In  1677  he  laid  before  the 
French  government  a  plan  for  the  conquest  of 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  extension 
of  New  France  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  plan 
was  approved  by  the  king,  Louis  XIV.  So,  he 
returned  to  this  continent,  fitted  out  an  expedi 
tion,  discovered  Niagara  Falls,  explored  Lake 
Ontario,  and  after  a  number  of  other  journeys 
of  inland  exploration,  he  built  a  fort  near  the 
site  of  the  present  town  of  Peoria,  Illinois.  In 
May,  1681,  he  was  joined  by  his  lieutenant, 
Henri  de  Tonti,  from  whom  he  had  been  separated 
since  some  time.  This  same  Tonti,  the  Italian 
explorer,  was  in  every  respect  worthy  of  being- 
associated  with  a  man  of  the  ability,  energy  and 
hardihood  of  the  Sieur  de  LaSalle.  On  April 
6,  1682,  after  having  floated  down  the  Missis 
sippi  river  for  some  time,  they  reached  the  point 
where  it  divides  into  three  branches  or  forks. 
LaSalle  took  the  branch  heading  towards  the 
west,  D'Austray  (one  of  his  men)  the  one  head 
ing  towards  the  east,  and  Tonti  the  middle  one. 
Three  days  subsequently  they  all  three  reached 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  21 

The  Mississippi  was  no  longer  an  unknown 
stream!  It  had  been  explored  to  its  mouth. 
The  dream  of  LaSalle  —  the  dream  that  had 
haunted  him  from  boyhood,  was  realized !  He 
had  added  a  new  and  vast  territory  to  his  be 
loved  France;  in  the  name  of  la  bdle  France  he 
took  possession  of  this  territory  along  the  great 
river;  he  caused  a  commemorative  column  to  be 
erected, — the  TV  Deum  was  sung,  the  men  fired 
volleys  of  musketry,  and  he  proclaimed  aloud — 

i4  In  the  name  of  the  most  high,  mighty,  in 
vincible  and  victorious  prince,  Louis  the  Great, 
bv  the  o-race  of  God  Kino-  of  France  and  of 

c  o 

Navarre,  Fourteenth  of  that  name,  I,  this  ninth 
day  of  April,  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
eighty-two,  in  virtue  of  the  commission  of  his 
Majesty,  which  I  hold  in  my  hand,  and  which 
may  be  seen  by  all  whom  it  may  concern,  have 
taken,  and  do  now  take,  in  the  name  of  his 
Majesty  and  his  successors  to  the  crown,  posses 
sion  of  this  country  of  Louisiana,  the  seas,  the 
harbors,  ports,  bays,  adjacent  straits,  and  all  the 
nations,  peoples,  provinces,  cities,  towns,  villages* 
mines,  minerals,  fisheries,  streams  and  rivers, 
within  the  extent  of  the  said  Louisiana,  from 
the  mouth  of  the  great  river,  St.  Louis,  other 
wise  called  the  Ohio,  as  also  along  the  River 
Colbert,  or  Mississippi,  and  the  rivers  which  dis 
charge  themselves  thereinto,  from  its  source  be 
yond  the  country  of  the  Nadouessioux  as  far  as 
its  mouth  ;it  sen,  or  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  also  to 
the  mouth  of  the  River  of  Palms,  upon  the  assur- 


22        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

ance  we  have  from  the  natives  of  these  countries 
that  we  are  the  first  Europeans  who  have  de 
scended  or  ascended  the  said  River  Colbert ;  here 
by  protesting  against  all  who  may  hereafter  under 
take  to  invade  any  or  all  these  aforesaid  countries, 
peoples,  or  lands,  to  the  prejudice  of  the  rights 
of  his  Majesty,  acquired  by  the  consent  of  the 
nations  dwelling  herein.  Of  which,  and  of  all 
else  that  is  needful,  I  hereby  take  to  witness  those 
who  hear  me,  and  demand  an  act  of  the  notary 
here  present." 

The  Louisiana  Territory  was  born  ! 

Want  of  space  forbids  the  further  pursuance 
of  the  careers  of  LaSalle  and  Tonti.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that  the  former  was  assassinated,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Trinity  river,  in  1687,  by  one  of 
his  own  men,  who  shot  him  from  an  ambush  in 
the  high  grass.  Tonti  died  of  the  yellow  fever, 
in  Mobile,  in  1704. 

Writing  of  LaSalle,  Bancroft  says: 

"  Such  was  the  end  of  the  daring  adventurer. 
For  force  of  will  and  vast  conceptions ;  for  vari 
ous  knowledge  and  quick  adaptation  of  his  genius 
to  untried  circumstances;  for  a  sublime  magnan 
imity,  that  resigned  itself  to  the  will  of  heaven, 
and  yet  triumphed  over  affliction  by  energy  of 
purpose  and  unfaltering  hope,  he  had  no  superior 
among  his  countrymen"  ("History  of  the 
United  States",  Vol.  3,  p.  173). 

Joliet,  Marquette,  LaSalle,  Tonti —  had  blazed 
the  trail  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Behind  them 
soon  followed  the  Canadian  trapper  with  his 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  23 

trusty  rifle  and  his  traps,  and  the  Catholic  mis 
sionary  with  the  Bible  and  the  crucifix.  Then 
carne  the  fur-trader  and  built  his  post  for  barter 
and  exchange  among  white  men  and  red  alike. 
Next  followed  the  upward  push  from  the  mouth 
of  the  great  river  —  the  settlements  and  posts 
at  Ship  Island,  Dauphin  Island,  and  others 
established  by  Jean  Baptiste  Le  Moyne,  Sieur 
de  Bienville,  and  his  two  brothers,  all  Canadians 
of  French  parentage,  acting  under  the  authority 
of  Louis  XIV.,  misnamed  Le  Grand,  who 
turned  his  eyes  away  from  his  mistresses  long 
enough  to  see  an  empire  for  France  in  the  gift 
of  LaSalle. 

Iberville  sailed  to  France,  and  in  1701  returned 
with  two  ships  filled  with  colonists  and  loaded 
with  the  supplies  necessary  to  anew  colony.  He 
then  went  on  colonizing  the  land  as  far  north  as 
the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Mankota,  Minne 
sota.  In  1704,  the  French  government  sent 
another  ship,  carrying  seventy -five  soldiers,  a 
number  of  colonists,  supplies,  etc.  And  so  on 
through  the  succeeding  years,  colonists  came 
from  the  mother  country,  new  posts  and  garri 
sons  were  established, —  John  Law  sprang  into 
public  notice  with  his  famous  and  hollow  Missis 
sippi  Bubble  (1720)  which,  nevertheless,  bene 
fited  the  infant  colony  commercially,  —  Natchez, 
New  Orleans  almost  leaped  into  existence,  — and 
peace,  progress,  prosperity  seemed  assured  for 
the  future. 

But  it  was  not  to  be  so.     France  claimed  all  of 


24        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

North  America,  by  right  of  discovery  and  con 
quest;  so  did  England,  and  Spain  also.  Petty 
jealousies,  misunderstandings,  personal  ambi 
tions,  aggressive  measures,  clashes  between  the 
settlers  themselves,  national  gain  —  brought  on 
the  Seven  Years'  War  (1756-1773).  Louis 
XIV. 's  mistresses  were  more  precious  than  the 
great  Richelieu's  beloved  dream  of  a  gigantic 
New  France  across  the  ocean,  and  so,  there  was 
not  sufficient  money  for  troops,  armaments  and 
military  supplies  to  uphold  the  honor  of  France 
worthily  and  becomingly.  The  war 

over,  England  was  sole  mistress  of  Canada  and 
eastern  Louisiana,  and  Spain  of  western  Louisi 
ana  and  the  Island  of  New  Orleans.  The  popu 
lation  of  Louisiana  at  this  time  was  about  seven 
thousand. 

But  the  people  of  the  Island  of  New  Orleans  were 
French  by  birth,  by  sympathy,  and  by  their  love 
for  France.  They  heard  with  sorrow  and  morti 
fication  that  their  domain  had  been  transferred 
to  Spain.  They  protested,  they  petitioned  to  be 
restored  to  France  —  but  the  mother-country 
turned  a  deaf  ear :  Louisiana  had  already  cost 
her  twrenty  millions  of  dollars  —  the  national 
treasury  was  depleted  (how  could  it  be  other 
wise  when  the  national  treasury  had  been  squan 
dered  on  a  horde  of  hussies  —  the  La  Vallieres, 
the  Montespans,  the  Fontanges,  the  Soubises,  the 
Maintenons? )  —  There  was  no  alternative  ;  aban 
doned  by  the  mother  country,  independence  only 
remained  to  them. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  25 

On  the  twenty-second  day  of  October,  1768, 
Nicolas  Chauvin  de  Lafreniere  led  the  revolt. 
The  Spanish  garrison  surrendered,  Lafreniere 
was  named  Protector,  and  the  first  republic  on 
American  soil  was  born ! 

But  what  could  this  little  band  of  patriots  do 
against  powerful  Spain?  They  were  in  the 
right, — but  the}7  had  acted  hastily.  In  their 
just  anger  they  had  forgotten  how  helpless  they 
were.  So,  when  the  Spanish  general,  Count 
Alexander  O'Reilly,  on  July  24,  1769,  arrived 
from  Spain  with  four  thousand  troops,  they  met 
him  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  river  and  told 
him  that  they  would  submit  to  his  authority,  and 
recognize  him  as  Viceroy  of  Louisiana.  General 
O'Reilly  received  them  politely,  spoke  them 
fairly,  and  they  returned  home  believing  that  they 
would  not  be  prosecuted  and  that  the  incident 
was  closed. 

On  the  17th  day  of  August,  General  O'Reilly 
landed  his  troops  at  New  Orleans,  and  had  the 
leaders  of  the  insurrection  seized ;  they  were 
tried  by  court-martial  and  found  guilty ;  five  of 
them  were  condemned  to  be  hanged  until  dead, 
and  the  remainder  to  serve  terms  of  imprison 
ment.  When  he  was  informed  of  this  decree, 
the  public  executioner  heroically  cut  off  his  right 
hand  that  he  might  not  be  forced  to  execute  the 
sentence.  This  act  touched  the  hard  and  sordid 
heart  of  O'Reilly,  and  he  changed  the  sentence 
to  death  by  shooting.  And  so,  in  the  public 
H[iiare,  with  their  backs  to  a  wall,  were  mur- 


26        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

dered  Nicolas  Chauvin  de  Lafreniere,  Jean  Bap- 
tiste  Moyan,  Pierre  Caresse,  Joseph  Milhet  and 
Pierre  Marquis. 

Joseph  Villeare  had  priorly  been  brutally  slain 
by  the  Spanish  guards  for  disobeying  orders  in 
speaking  to  his  wife.  He  was  beyond  the  bru 
tality  of  Count  O'Reilly,  so  the  latter  could  only 
content  himself  with  proclaiming  that:  "The 
late  Joseph  Villeare,  standing  likewise  convicted 
of  having  been  one  of  the  most  obstinate  promo 
ters  of  the  aforesaid  conspiracy,  I  condemn  in 
like  manner  his  memory  to  be  held  forever  infa 
mous." 

"  Infamous?  "  To  the  people  of  Louisiana, 
to  this  day,  it  is  "  sacred".  It  is  the  memory 
of  the  Weyler  of  the  18th  century  that  is  infa 
mous. 

But  while  these  occurrences  were  transpiring 
in  New  Orleans,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Terri 
tory,  there  had  sprung  into  existence  another 
trading  post  that  was  destined  with  time  to  be 
come  a  great  and  flourishing  city  —  the  most 
important  one  in  the  Territory. 

The  treaty  of  peace  made  at  Paris  in  1763, 
established  the  Mississippi  river  as  the  boundary 
line  between  the  possessions  of  France  and  En 
gland.  This  did  not  prevent  the  Indians  from 
crossing  the  river  for  the  purposes  of  trade  from 
points  in  what  are  now  the  States  of  Illinois  and 
Missouri.  Pierre  Laclede  Liguest,  who  had  been 
a  resident  of  New  Orleans  since  1755,  on  account 
of  losses  occasioned  by  the  inter-colonial  war 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  27 

between  the  French  and  the  English,  found  his 
commercial  house  on  the  eve  of  bankruptcy ;  in 
consideration  of  services  rendered  the  French 
government  during  the  war,  he  received  the 
grant  of  the  exclusive  privilege  of  carrying  on 
the  fur  trade  in  the  Missouri  river  country.  He 
ascended  the  Mississippi  with  a  party  from  New 
Orleans,  among  which  was  his  lieutenant, 
Auguste  Chouteau,  and  his  brother,  Pierre,  and 
in  February,  1764,  established  a  trading  post 
which  was  later  on  named  after  a  king  of  France 
of  sainted  memory,  Louis  IX. 

From  a  trading  post  in  1764,  to  a  settlement, 
then  to  a  village  in  1778,  the  progression  was 
rapid.  That  was  the  third  year  of  the  Ameri 
can  Revolution,  — the  year  that  the  indomitable, 
indefatigable  George  Rogers  Clark  with  his 
hardy  band  of  patriots,  flashes  across  the  pages 
of  our  Western  history,  and  the  British  posts  at 
Kaskaskia,  Vincennes  and  Sackville  fall  into  his 
hands  one  after  another. 

In  St.  Louis,  Clark  was  welcomed  and  aided 
by  Frenchmen  and  Spaniards  alike,  for,  did 
they  not  both  hate  the  English?  And,  after  all, 
were  not  these  Americans  fighting  for  their  free 
dom? —  for  the  liberty  of  their  land,  too?  Did 
they  dream  that  when  they  were  aiding  that 
little  band  of  heroic  Americans,  they  were  aid 
ing  themselves?  That  the  country  that  George 
Rogers  Clark  was  wrenching  from  the  hands  of 
England  would  one  day  be  a  part  of  their  heritage? 

But  in  lower  Louisiana  the  Spanish  arms  were 


28         LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

not  idle.  In  1779,  Don  Bernardo  Galvez,  the 
young  governor  of  Louisiana,  invaded  west  Flor 
ida  and  captured  the  British  forts,  and  not  only 
defeated  the  British  in  their  attempt  on  New 
Orleans,  but  took  more  than  five  hundred 
prisoners  of  war,  besides  capturing  eight  vessels. 
He  next  captured  Fort  Charlotte  and  the  garri 
son  at  Mobile,  on  March  14,  1780,  and  the  fol 
lowing  year  he  took  Pensacola  and  eight  hun 
dred  prisoners. 

In  1783,  the  American  Revolution  came  to  a 
close  —  the  American  colonies  had  achieved  their 
independence. 

The  spirit  of  republicanism  was  in  the  very 
air  of  the  New  World.  It  began  to  invade 
Louisiana.  These  Frenchmen  governed  by  Span 
iards,  and  forced  to  be  Spaniards  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  while  they  were  French  in 
heart  and  soul,  cast  longing  eyes  across  the 
border  line  on  the  free  and  independent  Amer 
icans  whose  ownership  of  their  own  country, 
and  whose  right  to  enjoy  their  freedom  they 
envied.  Nor  were  these  same  Americans  them 
selves  iidver.se  to  the  thought  that  one  day  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  might  float  over  Spanish 
America.  Free  America  was  a  standing  threat 
to  the  Spanish  possessions;  it  was  only  a  ques 
tion  of  time  when  the  vast  territory  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river  would  either  be  American,  or 
its  inhabitants  would  do  what  their  neighbors 
across  the  great  river  had  done  —  proclaim  their 
independence. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  29 

Later  on,  in  the  fall  of  1802,  Senator  Jackson, 
of  Georgia,  on  the  floor  of  the  United  States 
Senate,  voiced  the  opinion  of  the  people  when  he 
said:  "No  other  people  ean  long  exist  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  United  States  without  intermixing 
and  ultimately  joining  them." 

In  1800,  Spain  ceded  back  to  France  her 
Louisiana  possessions.  This  was  done  through 
the  influence  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  First  Con 
sul.  The  following  year  Thomas  Jefferson  was 
elected  President  of  the  United  States.  Since 
some  yours  the  commerce  of  the  United  Stales 
had  suffered  through  depredations  committed  on 
the  ocean  by  French,  English  and  Spanish  ships, 
and  injuries  had  been  done  to  some  of  her  citi 
zens.  Jefferson  urged  a  claim  of  $4,000,000 
against  the  French  government  as  indemnity  for 
damages  sustained.  The  Treaty  of  San  Ilde- 
fonso  had  not  been  made  public,  but  was  pur 
posely  kept  -secret  by  both  France  and  Spain. 
Its  existence,  however,  was  known  to  both 
England  and  the  United  States.  President 
Jefferson  dispatched  Robert  K.  Livingston  and 
Charles  C.  Pinckney  as  ministers  plenipotentiary 
to  France  and  Spain  to  urge  the  claims  of  the 
United  States  against  both  countries.  But 
neither  for  some  time  obtained  any  practical 
results. 

In  1802,  Napoleon  sent  a  large  army  to  San 
Domingo  for  the  purpose  of  restoring  order  in 
that  French  colony,  it  was  alleged;  this  action 
awakened  a  strong  war  spirit  in  the  United 


30        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

States  where  the  general  belief  prevailed  that 
New  Orleans,  and  not  San  Domingo,  was  the 
objective  point.  On  April  18,  President  Jeffer 
son  sent  a  memorable  letter  to  Minister  Living 
ston,  the  contents  of  which  were  to  be  communi 
cated  to  Napoleon.  In  it  occurs  this  warn 
ing: 

"  The  day  that  France  takes  possession  of  New 
Orleans  fixes  the  sentence  which  is  to  restrain 
her  forever  within  her  low-water  mark.  It 
seals  the  union  of  two  nations  which  in  conjunc 
tion  can  maintain  exclusive  possession  of  the 
ocean.  From  that  moment  we  must  marry 
ourselves  to  the  British  fleet  and  nation.  We 
must  *  *  *  make  the  first  cannon  that  is 
fired  in  Europe  the  signal  for  tearing  up  any 
settlement  she  (France)  may  have  made,  and 
for  holding  the  two  continents  of  America  in 
sequestration  for  the  common  purposes  of  the 
United  British  and  American  nations." 

Napoleon  at  once  realized  the  danger  to  France 
foreshadowed  in  this  letter.  France  was  not  in 
a  position  to  prevent  England  and  the  United 
States  from  taking  possession  of  Louisiana. 

The  United  States  Congress,  in  secret  session, 
voted  an  appropriation  of  $2,000,000  to  be  used 
by  Jefferson  "  in  the  foreign  intercourse  of  the 
United  States."  James  Monroe  was  then  nom 
inated  by  Jefferson  (and  confirmed  by  the 
Senate)  as  envoy  extraordinary  and  minister 
plenipotentiary  to  France,  Spain  and  England. 
On  March  8,  1803,  he  sailed  for  Europe,  taking 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  31 

with  him  the  $2,000,000  voted  by  Congress  in 
January. 

Before  Monroe  landed  on  French  soil,  in  April, 
Napoleon  had  promised  Livingston  that  $3,750,- 
000  of  the  spoliation  claims  of  the  United  States 
would  be  paid,  and  Livingston,  acting  under  the 
instructions  he  had  received,  urged  the  transfer 
of  New  Orleans  and  the  Floridas  to  the  United 
States  in  lieu  of  the  money. 

On  April  8,  Monroe  landed  on  the  coast  of 
France;  that  day,  Napoleon,  speaking  of  the 
English,  said  to  his  ministers  of  state: 

"They  shall  not  have  the  Mississippi  which 
they  covet.  I  have  not  a  moment  to  lose  in 
putting  it  out  of  their  reach,  and  I  think  of  ced 
ing  it  to  the  United  States.  They  only  ask  of 
me  one  town  in  Louisiana,  but  I  already  consider 
the  colony  as  entirely  lost ;  and  it  appears  to  me 
that,  in  the  hands  of  the  growing  power,  it  will  be 
more  useful  to  the  policy  and  even  the  commerce 
of  France,  than  if  I  should  attempt  to  keep  it." 

To  this  Talleyrand  found  objection,  as  did  also 
Joseph  and  Lucien  Bonaparte;  butMarbois  con 
curring,  the  negotiations  were  placed  in  his 
hands.  Napoleon  said  to  him  privately: 

"It  is  not  only  New  Orleans  that  I  will  cede, 
but  the  whole  colony,  without  any  reservation. 
To  attempt  to  retain  it  would  be  folly.  I  direct 
you  to  negotiate  this  offer  with  the  envoy  of  the 
United  States.  I  shall  be  moderate  in  consid 
eration  of  the  necessity  in  which  I  am  making  a 
sale.  But  keep  this  is  to  yourself." 


32        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Livingston,  with  the  approval  of  Monroe,  who 
arrived  in  France  on  April  12,  conducted  the 
negotiations  with  Marbois.  On  April  30,  the 
treaty  ceding  Louisiana  to  the  United  States  was 
signed.  France  conceded  $3,750,000  as  spolia 
tion  claims  and  was  to  receive  $11,250,000. 
**  We  have  lived  long,"  said  Livingston  seizing 
Monroe  by  the  hand,  "  but  this  is  the  noblest 
work  of  our  lives.  From  this  day,  the  United 
States  take  their  place  among  the  powers  of  the 
first  rank." 

The  treaty  was  ratified  by  President  Jefferson 
on  the  llth  day  of  November,  and  on  the  20th 
of  December,  the  Spanish  governor,  Don  Julian 
de  Salco,  formally  ceded  the  territory  to  Citizen 
Pierre  Clement  de  Laussat,  Colonial  Prefect 
and  Commissioner  of  the -French  government, 
and  he  in  turn  transferred  it  to  William  C.  C. 
Claiborne  and  James  Wilkerson,  as  Commission 
ers  or  Agents  of  the  United  States. 

The  prophecy  of  Napoleon  still  remains  to  be 
fulfilled:  "  I  have  just  given  to  England  a  mari 
time  rival  that  will  sooner  or  later  humble  her 
pride." 

A  few  words  in  conclusion.  With  the  excep 
tion  of  about  one-third  of  Minnesota  and  Colo 
rado,  and  a  small  portion  of  Wyoming  and 
Montana,  the  following  states  and  territories 
have  been  formed  from  the  Louisiana  Territory : 
Louisiana,  admitted  to  the  Union  as  a  state,  in 
1812;  Missouri,  admitted  in  1821;  Arkansas, 
in  1836;  Iowa,  in  1845;  Minnesota,  in  1858; 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH.  33 

Kansas,  in  18(31 ;  Nebraska.,  in  18(37  ;  Colorado,  in 
18)37;  Wyoming,  in  1890;  Montana,  and  North 
and  South  Dakota,  in  1899.  Indian  Territory 
and  Oklahoma  Territory,  as  their  names  indicate, 
have  not  yet  reached  statehood. 

3 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    LOUISIANA 
TEREITOEY. 

Education,  wealth  and  leisure  are  absolutely 
necessary  to  culture,  refinement  and  literary 
accomplishment.  Without  their  pre-existence, 
literary  production  is  virtually  an  impossibility. 
They  may  not  all  be  combined  in  the  writer,  but 
they  must  all  necessarily  exist  in  the  encompas 
sing  community.  Without  recognition,  without 
appreciation,  the  literary  history  of  the  world 
would  be  a  record  of  "  mute,  inglorious  Miltons  " 
only. 

Scattering  villages  and  hamlets  of  "  houses  of 
posts"  and  rude  log  cabins,  cannot  reasonably 
be  expected  to  harbor  poets,  essayists,  historians 
and  novelists.  They  may  do  so  in  isolated  cases, 
but  like  the  cicade,  such  cases  are  perforce 
voiceless;  uncongenial  environments  strangle 
utterance. 

In  1803,  when  the  Louisiana  Territory  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States,  with  the  exception 
of  a  very  few  towns,  it  was  a  howling  wilderness 
speckled  only  here  and  there  by  a  living,  throb 
bing,  building  humanity,  rude  and  unpolished  in 
the  main.  Very  little  culture  and  refinement 
could  be  expected  from  the  primitive  class  that 
lived  by  hunting,  fishing,  trapping  and  trading 
on  a  small  scale,  and  that  principally  with  the 
(34) 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY.     35 

red  num.  There  were  no  public  schools ;  prac 
tically,  it  may  be  said  that  there  were  no  schools. 
Those  who  were  sufficiently  wealthy  —  that  is  to 
say,  the  very  few — employed  private  tutors  for 
their  children. 

Still  it  seems  that  far  more  education  and  cul 
ture  existed  than  the  conditions  really  justified. 
Of  book-making,  of  course,  there  was  none; 
original  production  was  not  dreamt  of,  —  why 
should  it  have  been?  Who  would  have  read  a 
book  emanating  from  the  Louisiana  Territory? 
Furthermore,  what  need  would  there  have  been 
for  such?  Were  not  the  masterpieces  of 
French  literature  —  the  literature  of  the  mother 
country  —  to  be  readily  had  from  France  or 
from  New  Orleans?  Toque  indeed  would  have 
been  deemed  the  genius  who  would  have  sent  his 
MS.  by  slow  stages,  to  the  publisher  in  Boston, 
in  New  York,  or  in  Philadelphia.  Possibly  there 
would  have  been  but  one  man  in  all  that  land  to 
the  east  who  would  have  looked  with  benevolent 
eyes  on  such  a  bold  proceeding  —  one  Benjamin 
Franklin,  an  old  printer  way  far  up  in  Phila 
delphia. 

But  Brackenridge,  in  his  "  Recollections  of 
Persons  and  Places  in  the  West,"  tells  us  that 
a  considerable  degree  of  education  and  literary 
culture  did  exist  in  several  quarters  of  the  Terri 
tory.  In  private  families  in  Baton  Rouge,  New 
Orleans,  New  Madrid,  St.  Genevieve,  and  St. 
Louis,  and  in  the  Jesuit  colleges  scattered  here 
and  there  —  at  Kaskaskia  and  other  -points,  there 


36        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

were  valuable  and  reasonably  large  collections  of 
standard  and  instructive  works  in  law,  science, 
and  general  literature,  and  these  books  in  French, 
Latin  and  Greek,  were  read  and  appreciated  by 
ecclesiastics,  lawyers,  doctors,  fur  traders,  and 
commercial  and  other  business  men.  But  then,  of 
course,  they  were  the  exceptions,  and  not  the  rule. 

Let  us  bear  in  mind  that  when  the  Louisiana 
Territory  became  American,  it  possessed  but  few 
educational  advantages,  and  these  were  almost 
inaccessible  to  the  large  majority  of  the  popula 
tion.  Glancing  East,  we  find  that  Harvard 
College,  in  Massachusetts,  had  been  opened  to 
the  youth  of  the  American  land  since  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  years;  Mary  and  William 
College',  in  Virginia,  was  in  the  one  hundred  and 
eleventh  year  of  its  existence ;  Yale  College,  in 
Connecticut,  was  in  its  one  hundred  and  third 
year ;  the  Theological  College  of  New  Jersey 
was  fifty-five  years  old,  and  Columbia  College, 
in  New  York,  lacked  only  one  year  of  being  half- 
a-century  old. 

As  to  literature,  Mistress  Anne  Bradstreet,  the 
Tenth  Muse,  had  sung  in  her  cracked  voice  and 
passed  from  the  stage  of  life  since  one  hundred 
and  thirty-one  years;  Roger  Williams,  the  im 
mortal  apostle  of  religious  freedom,  had  come, 
fled  for  conscience's  sake  from  the  civilized 
white  man  —  who  in  turn  had  fled  from  tyranny 
so  that  he  might  tyrannize  himself --to  the 
open  arms  of  the  Indian  barbarian,  had  put 
forth  his  printed  protests  against  tyranny  and 


.51- 

»»    i- 

EDUCATION    IN    THE    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY.      37 

religious  persecution,  and  had  been  gathered 
to  his  forefathers  since  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years:  Increase  and  quaint  Cotton  Mather  had 
come  and  gone  in  an  atmosphere  of  learning 
and  among  the  fumes  of  burning  witches ;  Jon 
athan  Edwards  had  ceased  teaching  eternal 
damnation  and  Princeton  College  since  forty- 
five  years;  the  body  of  Benjamin  Franklin, 
printer,  "  like  the  cover  of  an  old  book,  its  con 
tents  torn  out  ",  had  been  abandoned  to  the 
mercy  of  book-worms  and  earth-worms  since 
thirteen  years,  — but  his  memory  and  his  works 
were  then  as  of  yesterday,  just  as  they  are  to 
day ;  Tom  Paine  had  taught  patriotism  in 
44  Common  Sense  "  and  infidelity  in  "  The  Age 
of  Reason",  and  an  old  and  worn-out  man  was 
rapidly  Hearing  the  time  when,  like  Rabelais, 
he  could  say,  "Jr.  rax  qttcrir  -itu.  yrand  peuf- 
cfnj".f  Since  eight  years  the  youths  of  Amer 
ica  were  daily  nodding  over  their  "  English 
Grammar  "  and  blessing  Lindley  Murray;  Fran 
cis  Hopkinson  had  sung  "  The  Battle  of  the 
Kegs"  and  John  Trumbull  of  '4  M'Fingal  "  ; 
Joel  Barlow  had  piped  his  '4  Columbiad  "  and 
Philip  Freneau  had  told  of  '4  The  Rising  Glory 
of  America",  and  scores  of  others  had  eulo 
gized  and  loved  in  verse  and  argued  in  prose, 
and  —  the  Louisiana  Territory  was  only  begin 
ning  its  existence,  was  only  entering  on  the  in 
tellectual  and  physical  struggle  that  was,  with 
time,  to  make  it  a  great  factor  in  the  American 
Union ! 


38        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Under  the  absolute,  monarchical  governments 
of  France  and  Spain,  in  which  the  union  of 
Church  and  State  prevailed,  and  education  meant 
but  little  more  than  religious  training,  a  system 
of  free  public  instruction,  based  upon  social 
equality,  would  have  been  an  impossibility. 
After  the  purchase  of  the  Territory  by  the 
American  government,  education  progressed  fast. 
Public  and  private  schools,  and  private  colleges, 
sprang  up  in  the  land  with  astonishing  rapidity, 
while  printing  offices  and  newspapers  pressed 
hard  in  their  wake.  Through  one  hundred  and 
one  years  the  school  and  the  printing  press  have 
kept  pace  in  the  race  for  education  and  enlight 
enment. 

The  East  has  more  than  one  hundred  years 
the  start  in  intellectual  advantages  and  achieve 
ment.  Does  it  surpass  the  Louisiana  Territory 
States  in  the  number  and  efficiency  of  its  public- 
schools?  —  is  it  ten  years  in  advance  of  them  in 
its  private  colleges  and  great  universities?  In 
literature,  have  we  not  vastly  diminished  that 
more  than  a  century  of  prior  advantages?  What 
country  has  produced  a  greater  ornithologist  than 
Audubon?  Is  there  living,  to-day,  a  humorist 
who  ranks  higher  among  the  masses  of  American 
readers  than  "  Mark  Twain  "?  —  a  novelist  who 
outranks  Cable?  —  two  writers  of  short  stories 
who  surpass  Miss  Murfree  and  Miss  French?  — 
an  educational  authority  greater  than  Doctor 
Harris  ? 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY.      39 

But  why  continue  this  subject?  Let  us  be 
judged  by  our  past  achievements,  —  and  further 
more,  let  us  trust  that  in  that  judgment  lies  the 
prophecy  of  a  still  greater  and  vaster  future ! 


THE  EARLIEST  BOOKS. 

The  first  book  printed  in  L;i  Louisiane  (subse 
quently  the  Louisiana  Territory),  as  far  as  num 
ber  of  pages,  binding,  si/e,  etc.,  are  taken  into 
consideration,  was  in  French,  and  bore  I  lie 
following  title:  "  Medicaments,  et  Precis  de  la 
Methode  de  M.  Masdevall,  Docteur  Medecin  dn 
Roi  d'Espaygne  Charles  IV.'",  etc.  (Nouvelle 
Orleans.  M.DCC.L.XXXXVI).  This  is  evi 
dently  a  reprint.  Doctor  Masdevall  never  resided 
in  the  "  new  world".  As  the  title  page  states, 
he  was  physician  to  Charles  the  Fourth  of  Spain. 

James  Adair,  an  English  trader  with  the  In 
dians,  and  "  a  resident  in  their  country  for  forty 
years",  as  he  tells  us,  published  in  London, 
MDCCLXXV,  "The  History  of  the  American 
Indians.  Particularly  those  Nations  adjoining  to 
the  Mississippi,  East  and  AVest  Florida,  South 
Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Virginia".  The  author  is 
of  the  opinion  that  the  North  American  Indians 
descend  from  the  Hebrews.  A  part  of  the  forty 
years  Avere  spent  by  Mr.  Adair  in  Louisiana. 
Mr.  Adair  was  not  a  Louisiana  author,  and  his 
book  was  not  published  in  Louisiana.  I  mention 
it  as  the  first  book  of  any  consequence  about 
Louisiana. 

"Acts  Passed  at  the  First  Session  of  the  First 
Legislature  of  the  Territory  of  Orleans.  Begun 

" 


THE    EARLIEST    BOOKS.  41 

and  Held  in  the  City  of  New  Orleans,  on  Mon 
day,  the  Third  Day  of  December  in  the  Year  of 
our  Lord  One  Thousand  Eight  Hundred  and 
Four  and  of  the  Independence  of  the  United 
States  the  Twenty-ninth.  Published  by  Author 
ity.  New  Orleans.  Printed  by  James  M.  Brad 
ford,  Printer  to  the  Territory.  1805."  This 
was  the  tirst  hook  written  and  published  in  the 
Territory,  but  it  was  not  the  first  original  publi 
cation.  1  use  the  word  "book";  it  was  ante 
dated  by  a  pamphlet,  "  La  Prise  du  Morne  du 
Baton  Kouge  "  (mentioned  in  the  chapter,  "  The 
French  Authors  "). 

"  Code  Noir.  Approuve  le  7  Juin,  1806. 
Guilauine  C.  C.  Claiborne,  Gouverneur  du  Ter- 
ritoire  d'  Orleans.  (Jean  Watkins)  (Pierre 
Sauve.)  A  la  Nouvelle  Orleans.  Chez  Jean 
Kenard,  rue  de  Chartres  No.  8,  1806." 

"The  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  In 
English  and  French,  with  the  Treaty  between 
France  and  England  and  the  Acts  for  the  Gov 
ernment  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  etc.  New 
Orleans,  1806." 

"  Acts  passed  at  the  Second  Session  of  the 
First  Legislature  of  the  Territory  of  Orleans. 
Begun  and  held  in  the  City  of  New  Orleans,  on 
the  12th  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
One  Thousand  Eight  Hundred  and  Seven  and  of 
the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  Amer 
ica  the  Thirty-first.  Published  by  Authority. 
New  Orleans.  Printed  by  Bradford  and  Ander 
son,  Printers  to  the  Territory.  1807.' 


42        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

"  The  Laws  of  the  Territory  of  Louisiana,  Com 
prising  all  those  which  are  now  Actually  in  Force 
within  the  same.  Published  by  Authority.  St. 
Louis  (L.)  Printed  by  Joseph  Charless,  Printer 
tor  the  Territory.  1808."  It  contains-the  earliest 
laws  enacted  by  our  republican  ancestors  for 
the  government  of  the  land  we  inhabit,  beginning 
in  1804  and  ending  in  1808.  (The  term  "re 
publican"  ancestors  is  used,  as  prior  to  its 
cession  to  the  United  States,  the  Louisiana  Terri 
tory  belonged  to  monarchical  powers,  Spain  and 
France).  This  was  the  first  book  published  in 
what  was  then  called,  "  upper  Louisiana  Terri 
tory  ".  The  first  St.  Louis  publication. 

"  Laf oil's  Annuaire  "  was  a  Directory  of  the 
city  of  New  Orleans,  published  in  1808. 

"  The  Laws  of  the  Territory  of  Louisiana, 
passed  by  the  Governor  and  Judges  Assembled 
in  Legislature,  in  the  month  of  October,  1810. 
Published  by  Authority.  St.  Louis  (L.)  Printed 
by  Joseph  Charless,  Printer  for  the  Territory. 
1810."  Joseph  Charless  was  born  in  Ireland. 
He  was  a  printer  by  trade.  He  became  involved 
in  Robert  Emmet's  attempt  at  revolution,  and 
fled  from  Ireland  to  the  United  States  after  the 
execution  of  Enimet.  In  1807,  he  removed  from 
Philadelphia  to  St.  Louis,  and  in  1808  he 
founded  the  first  newspaper  published  west  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  The  Missouri  Gazette  (now 
The  St.  Louis  Republic.)  He  died  in  1834. 

Alexander    Latil    of    New  Orleans,    in    1814, 


THE    EARLIEST    BOOKS.  43 

published,  "  Ephe'meres,  Essais  Poetiques  " 
(Nouvelle  Orleans).  Mr.  Latil  was  a  prophet  — 
his  poems  were  "ephemeral  ". 

"  Poucha-Houmma  "  by  LeBlanc  de  Vil- 
leneufve  (Nouvelle  Orleans,  1814),  is  a  tragedy 
of  Indian  life  and  manners.  The  author  was  an 
ex-officer  of  the  French  army  and  was  eighty- 
seven  years  of  age  when  he  wrote  the  book.  It 
was  his  first  and  last  work. 


THE  FRENCH  AUTHORS. 

The  Hrst  booklet  (or  more  properly  speaking, 
pamphlet)  published  in  the  Louisiana  Territory 
of  which  I  can  find  anv  record,  is  "  La  Prise  du 
Morne  du  Baton  Rouge.  Par  Monseigneur  de 
Galvex.  Chevalier  pensioniie  de  1'Ordre  Royal 
distingue  de  Charles  Trois,  Brigadier  des  Armces 
de  Sa  Majestc,  Intendant,  Inspecteur  et  Gouver- 
neur  General  de  la  Province  de  la  Louisiana,  etc. 
A  la  Nonvelle  Orleans,  Chez  Antoine  Boud- 
ousquie,  Jmprimeur  dn  Roi,  et  du  Cabildo. 
M.DCC.L.XXIX."  It  contains  a  kt  Poeme  "  and 
a  "  Chanson  ".  It  makes  t\vo  hundred  and  seven 
lilies  of  absolutely  worthless  and  alleged  poetrv. 
Only  one  copy  of  it  is  extant  :  Professor  Fortier 
borrowed  it  and  had  it  reproduced.  The  author, 
Julien  Poydras  de  Lallande,  was  a  planter  and  a 
merchant,  and  was  born  in  Brittany,  France, 
about  1740.  He  emigrated  to  Louisiana  about 
1768.  He  laid  the  foundation  to  a  fortune  in 
peddling  from  plantation  to  plantation.  He 
afterwards  carried  on  manufacturing  and  trading 
on  a  large  scale.  He  died  in  New  Orleans  in 
June,  1824.  He  bequeathed  $130, 000  in  chari 
ties,  of  which  $30,000  was  left  to  each  of  the 
West  Baton  Rouge  and  Pointe  Coupe  parishes, 
the  interest  of  which  was  to  be  paid  every  year 
to  the  young  women  without  fortune  who  had 
(44) 


THE    FRENCH    AUTHORS.  45 

married  during"  the  year.  Heading  of  this  I  can 
almost  forgive  Monsieur  Poydras  dc  Lallande  the 
quality  of  his  "  poetry  ". 

"  La  Prise  du  Morne  du  Raton  Rouge  "  is  a 
"  folder  "  consisting  of  two  leaves  ;  the  "  Poeme  " 
occupies  the  first,  second,  third  and  fourth 
pages,  and  the  "  Chanson  "  the  seventh  page; 
the  fifth  and  sixth  pages  are  blank.  Mr.  Henri 
L.  Favrot  of  New  Orleans,  has  the  only  copy  of 
this  pamphlet  known  to  be  in  existence. 

Peter  John  DC  Sniet  (Father  De  Sinet,  the 
famous  Catholic  misssonary)  was  the  author  of 
several  books,  originally  written  in  French,  but 
since  translated  into  the  language  of  the  country. 
I  do  not  believe  that  these  works  were  ever  pub 
lished  in  French.  Their  English  titles  are: 
"  Letters  and  Sketches,  with  a  Year's  Residence 
among  the  Indian  Tribes  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains  "  (New  York,  184o);  "Oregon  Missions 
andTrayels  over  the  Rocky  Mountains,  1845-41)  " 
(New  York,  1847);  "Western  Missions  and 
Missionaries"  (New  York,  1857);  and,  "New 
Indian  Sketches  "'.  He  published  two  works  in 
French,  "Missions  de  I'Amerique  du  Nord  " 
(St.  Louis,  1849),  and  "Voyages  dans  1'Amer- 
ique  Septentrionale.  Oregon"  (oeed.  Bruxelles 
et  Paris,  1874). 

Father  De  Smet  was  born  in  Termonde,  Bel 
gium,  in  1801,  and  died  in  St.  Louis,  in  1872. 
In  1821,  he  camo  to  the  United  States  and 
entered  the  Jesuit  novitiate  in  Whitemarsh, 
Maryland,  and  afterwards  went  to  Missouri,  to 


46        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

complete  his  theological  course.  In  1828,  he 
was  ordained  and  removed  to  St.  Louis,  which 
ever  afterwards  was  his  home.  In  1838,  he 
went  among  the  Pottawattamies  to  establish  a 
mission.  From  that  time  to  the  year  of  his 
death,  the  amount  of  good  he  accomplished 
among  the  various  Indian  tribes  can  never  be 
over-estimated.  He  was  a  noble,  self-sacrificing 
man  who  bore  sickness,  suffering  and  danger 
heroically  for  the  cause  of  religion  and  humanity. 

A.  Lussan,  in  1839,  published  at  Donaldson- 
ville,  Louisiana,  "  Les  Martyrs  de  la  Louisiane", 
which  is  a  drama  on  the  popular  subject,  the 
revolution  of  1768. 

Louis  Richard  Cortambert  was  born  in  France 
in  1808,  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
early  in  life.  He  located  in  St.  Louis  early  in 
the  thirties,  and  a  few  years  later  he  married 
Suson  Chouteau,  daughter  of  Colonel  A.  P. 
Chouteau.  Mr.  Cortambert  was  highly  edu 
cated,  a  profound  thinker  and  an  able  writer. 
His  philosophy,  in  many  respects,  resembled 
that  of  Thoreau.  He  was  a  social  Republican 
and  one  of  the  early  abolitionists.  He  wrote  as 
he  believed,  and  he  boasted  that  his  pen  was  not 
for  sale.  From  1855  to  (about)  1858,  he  edited 
La  Revue  de  L' Guest,  a  St.  Louis  weekly,  and 
from  1864  to  1881,  Le  Messager  Franco- Ameri 
can,  the  New  York  daily  newspaper. 

Mr.  Cortambert  published  several  of  his  books 
in  Paris.  Martin  the  historian,  wrote  a  preface 
to  his  **  Histoire  Univeiselle  selon  la  Science 


THE    FRENCH    AUTHORS.  47 

Moderne "  (Paris,  1879),  and  Victor  Hugo 
praised  his  "  Religion  du  Progress  "  (New  York, 
1884).  Among  his  other  works  are:  "Voyage 
aux  Pays  des  Osages  "  (Paris,  1847);  "  Les 
Trois  Epoques  du  Catholicisme  "  (Paris,  1849); 
"  Le  Cate'chisme  Rationaliste  "  (St.  Louis, 
1855);  the  following  he  wrote  jointly  with  F. 
de  Tranaldos,  "  Le  General  Grant:  Esquisse 
Biographique  "  (New  York,  1868)  and  "  L'His- 
toire  de  la  Guerre  Civile  Americaine  "  (Paris, 
1867).  He  died  at  Bloomfield,  New  Jersey, 
March  28,  1881.  He  was  the  brother  of  Eugene 
Cortambert,  the  noted  French  Geographer,  and 
the  uncle  of  Richard  Cortambert,  the  promising 
young  author  who  died  in  his  early  thirties. 

Doctor  Alfred  Mercier  was  born  in  Louisiana 
June  3rd,  1816,  and  died  in  New  Orleans,  May 
12,  1894.  During  a  number  of  years  prior  to 
his  death  he  was  Perpetual  Secretary  of  the 
Athenee  Louisianais.  In  1885,  he  was  named 
as  Officier  d'Acadeniie  by  the  French  government 
in  recognition  of  his  zealous  labors  in  encourag 
ing  the  study  and  the  practice  of  the  French 
language  in  Louisiana. 

Doctor  Mercier  is  the  author  of  :  "  La  Rose  de 
Smyrne",  "  L'Ermite  de  Niagara  "  and  "  P>ato  " 
(Paris,  1842)  ;  "  Le  Foil  de  Palerme  "  (1873), 
**  La  Fille  du  Pretre  ",  a  novel  in  three  volumes 
aimed  at  the  celibacy  of  the  priesthood  (1877), 
"  L'Habitation  St.  Ybars  "  (1881),  "  Lidia  " 
(1887),  and  "  Johuelle  "  (1891),— all  of  these 
published  at  New  Orleans.  He  has  also  written 


48        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

several  pamphlets,  among  others  a  4t  Biographic 
do  Pierre  Soule  "  (Paris,  1848).  As  a  miscel 
laneous  writer,  ^^.  Mevcicr  ranks  among  the  best 
of  the  Louisiana  authors. 

Charles  Testut,  who  is  still  pleasantly  remem 
bered  as  tin  author,  published  at  New  Orleans : 
"Les  Yeillees  Louisianaises  "  (1849);  "Les 
Echos",  a  poem  (1849)  ;  "  Portraits  Litteraires 
de  la  Nouvelle  Orleans"  (1850);  "  Le  Vieux 
Salomon  "  (1872)  ;  and,  "  Les  Filles  de  Monte 
Cristo"  (187()). 

General  Baron  Phillippe  Regis  de  Trobriand, 
was  in  command  at  New  Orleans  in  1875— '79. 
After  1879  he  maintained  a  residence  at  New 
Orleans  until  a  few  months  prior  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  Long  Island,  July  15,  1897. 
He  was  born  in  France,  June  4,  181():  his  father 
was  General  Baron  Joseph  de  Trobriand.  In 
his  boyhood  he  was  one  of  the  pages  of  Charles 
X. ;  he  was  educated  at  New  Orleans  and  Poitiers, 
graduating  in  1834  and  1838.  In  1841  he  came 
to  the  L^nitcd  States  on  a  pleasure  voyage.  In 
1843,  he  married  a  Miss  Mary  Mason.  They 
lived  several  years  in  Italy.  In  1848,  he  pub 
lished  La  Revue  dti  ^SToitveau  Monde  in  New 
York.  In  1851  the  lie  cue  was  discontinued, 
and  in  1854,  he  became  one  of  the  editors  of 
Le  Courier  fie  ft  Etatx-LTui*.  About  the  latter 
part  of  the  thirties  he  published  a  novel,  "  Les 
Gentilshommes  de  1' Quest  '  (Paris),  and  in 
1867,  his  reminiscences  of  the  Civil  War, 


THE    FRENCH    AUTHORS.  49 

"  Quatre  ans  de  Campagnes  a  1'Armee  du  Poto 
mac  "  (Boston). 

In  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  volunteer  army  and 
was  elected  Colonel  of  the  55th  New  York  regi 
ment.  He  served  throughout  the  Civil  War,  and 
remained  in  the  army  after  its  close.  At  the 
date  of  his  retirement,  March  20th,  1879,  he 
was  a  brigadier-general  in  the  regular  army. 
Every  time  that  I  heard  his  name  mentioned  in 
New  Orleans,  last  December,  it  was  with  the 
profoundest  respect  and  admiration.  He  seems 
to  have  won  the  love  of  the  people  of  New 
Orleans,  as  fully  as  General  Butler  acquired  their 
hatred. 

Charles  Oscar  Dugue  was  born  in  New  Orleans, 
May  1,  1821.  His  parents  were  Americans  by 
birth,  and  both  of  French  descent.  He  was 
educated  in  France,  in  A-uvergne  and  in  Paris. 
He  began  writing  early;  Chateaubriand  spoke 
kindly  and  encouragingly  of  his  school-boy  verses. 
He  praised  them  for  their  truthfulness  to  art  and 
their  natural  simplicity.  His  college  days  over, 
he  returned  to  New  Orleans,  and  in  1847  he 
published  his  first  book,  his  "  Essais  Poetique  ", 
in  that  city.  The  "  Essais  "  are  principally  de 
scriptions  of  Southern  scenery  and  customs.  In 
1852  he  edited  the  short-lived  daily  paper, 
L'  Orlv'anais.  The  same  year  he  published,  at 
New  Orleans,  two  dramas  founded  on  the  legend 
ary  history  of  Louisiana,  "Mila;  ou  La  Mort 
de  La  Salle  ' '  and  ' '  Le  Cygne ;  ou  Mingo  ' ' . 

I  have  been  informed  by  a  former  friend  that 
4 


50        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

he  read  extracts  to  him  from  a  MS.  treatise 
on  "  La  Philosophic  Morale".  I  cannot  find 
that  the  MS.  was  ever  published  in  book  form. 
The  last  work  of  his  that  I  can  find  any  record 
of  is  a  poem,  "  Homo",  published  in  Paris  in 
1872.  Mr.  Dugue  died  in  Paris. 

Victor  Debouchel  published,  "  Histoire  de  la 
Louisiane,  depuis  les  Premieres  Decouvertes 
jusqu'en  1840"  (Nouvelle  Orleans,  1841). 
Two  other  historical  works  by  New  Orleans 
writers,  published  in  New  Orleans,  are:  "  Es- 
quisses  Locales  ",  by  Cyprien  Dufour  (1847), 
and  «*  Reflections  sur  la  Politique  des  Etats- 
Unis,"  etc.,  by  Bernard  de  Marigny  (1854), 

Urbain  David  of  Cette,  is  the  author  of  an  epic 
poem,  "Les  Anglais  a  la  Louisiane  en  1814  et 
1815  "  (Nouvelle  Orleans,  1845). 

Camille  Thierry  sung  of  "  Les  Vagabondes  " 
(Paris),  and  Joseph  Dejacque  versed  the  praises 
of  socialism  in  "  Les  Lazare'ennes  "  (Nouvelle 
Orleans,  1857). 

L.  Placide  Canonge  is  the  author  of  two 
dramas,  "  Qui  Perd  Gagne  "  (1840)  and  "  Le 
Comte  de  Carmagnola  "  (1856),  and  three  books 
of  poetry,  "  Tullius  St.  Ce'ran  ",  "  Rien  ou  Moi " 
(1837),  and  "  Mille  Cent  Quatorze  et  Mille  Huit 
Cent  Quinze  "  (1838).  These  were  all  pub 
lished  in  New  Orleans,  and  in  French  as  their 
titles  indicate.  Mr.  Canonge  was  at  one  time 
the  editor  of  the  old  French  newspaper,  L'Abeille 
de  la  Nouvelle  Orleans.  He  was  made  Officier 


THE  FRENCH  AUTHORS.  51 

d' Academic  in  1855  by  the  French  government, 
in  recognition  of  his  services  in  encouraging  and 
fostering  the  use  of  the  French  language  in 
Louisiana  by  his  writings  and  personal  influence. 
He  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  June  22nd,  1822, 
and  died  in  that  city,  January  22nd,  1893. 

Doctor  J.  C.  Faget  wrote  on  medical  subjects. 
His  "Etudes  sur  le  Basis  de  la  Science  Medi- 
cale  "  appeared  in  New  Orleans  in  1855,  and 
"  La  Fievre  Jaime"  in  1860.  His  other  book 
was,  "Notice  Scientifique  sur  Rouanet  de  Saint- 
POILS  "  (Paris,  1866).  Doctor  Faget  was  well 
known  in  New  Orleans.  He  died  some  years 
ago. 

Alexandra  Barde  of  Saint- Jean-Bap  tiste,  Lou 
isiana,  published,  in  his  town,  "  Histoire  des 
Comites  de  Vigilance  aux  Attakapas  "  (1861). 
It  is  a  history  of  the  doings  of  the  Vigilance 
Committee  in  the  Attakapas  region.  It  also 
narrates  numerous  legends  and  traditions  of  a 
very  interesting  nature. 

Doctor  Charles  Delery  is  the  author  of  several 
books  and  pamphlets  published  in  New  Orleans : 
"  Le  Dermier  Chant"  (1861);  "  Le  Spectre 
Noire"  (1868);  and,  "  L'Ecole  du  Peuple " 
(1877).  "  Les  Nemesciennes  Confederees  "  was 
published  at  Mobile,  Alabama,  in  1863,  and 
"Les  Yankees  Fondateurs  de  1'Esclavage  aux 
Etats-Unis  "  etc.,  in  Paris,  in  1864. 

The  late  Madame  D.  Girard  is  the  authoress 


52        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

of  "  Histoire  des  Etats-Unis  suivi  de  1'Histoire 
de  la  Louisiana  "  (Nouvelle  Orleans,  1881),  and 
Madame  Laure  Andry  of  "  L' Histoire  de  la 
Louisiane  "  (Nouvelle  Orleans,  1882). 


JOHN  JAMES  AUDUBON. 

Twenty  miles  from  New  Orleans,  on  the  north 
shore  of  Lake  Pontchartrain,  in  the  village  of 
Mandeville  (where  1'Abbe  Rouquette  afterwards 
established  an  Indian  mission)  in  the  Parish  of 
St.  Tammany,  Louisiana,  John  James  Laforest 
Audubon  was  born.  The  exact  date  is  not 
known;  his  granddaughter,  Maria  R.  Audubon 
says,  "he  may  have  been  born  anywhere  be 
tween  1772  and  1783,  and  in  the  face  of  this 
uncertainty  the  date  usually  given,  May  5,  1780, 
may  be  accepted,  though  the  true  one  is  no 
doubt  earlier  "  (vide  "  Audubon  and  his  Jour 
nals,"  vol.  1-). 

Of  his  mother,  but  little  is  known,  except  that 
she  was  of  Spanish  descent,  very  handsome  and 
haughty;  she  died  when  Audubon  was  too  young 
to  remember  her.  His  father  took  him  to 
France,  where,  having  remarried,  he  left  him  in 
charge  of  his  stepmother  and  returned  to  the 
United  States,  acting  as  an  officer  under  Gen 
eral  Count  Rochambeau,  and  later  on  under 
LaFayette. 

His  stepmother  believed  he  should  be  brought 
up  like  a  gentleman,  "  fine  clothes  and  filled 
pockets  were  the  only  requisites  needful  to  attain 
this  end  ",  Audubon  tells  us,  but  his  father 
"  spoke  of  the  stores  of  the  mind  "  and  he  was 

(53) 


54        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

sent  to  school  and  had  teachers  at  home.  All 
the  same,  his  stepmother  spoiled  him;  she  con 
cealed  his  faults,  boasted  of  his  merits,  and  pro 
claimed  him  the  handsomest  boy  in  France. 
His  father  was  in  the  French  Navy  and  wished 
him  to  either  follow  in  his  footsteps,  or  become 
an  engineer.  So  he  studied  geography,  mathe 
matics,  drawing,  fencing  and  music;  but  his 
father  being  very  frequently  absent  from  home 
on  duty  and  his  stepmother  permitting  him  to 
do  pretty  much  as  he  pleased,  instead  of  going 
to  school  he  spent  his  days  in  the  woods  hunting, 
fishing  and  robbing  birds'  nests. 

When  his  father,  upon  his  return  from  sea, 
found  this  state  of  affairs  prevailing  he  took 
him  to  Rochefort  where  he  was  forced  to  study. 
Afterwards,  he  was  returned  to  Nantes  and  later 
he  went  to  La  Gerbettiere — but  always,  and 
everywhere,  he  longed  for  Nature  and  the  free 
woods.  When  he  was  seventeen,  he  was  sent 
back  to  the  United  States.  He  lived  with  his 
father's  agent,  one  Miers  Fisher,  near  Philadel 
phia.  From  there  he  shortly  went  to  live  on  his 
father's  estate,  Mill  Grove,  which  was  a  few 
miles  off.  Here  he  was  in  an  earthly  paradise  — 
he  hunted,  fished,  idled,  rode  about,  played 
music,  drew  sketches  from  nature,  and  was  "  as 
happy  as  happy  could  be"  (his  own  words). 
Next  he  falls  in  love  with  and  marries  his  neigh 
bor's  daughter,  Lucy  Bakewell,  who  made  him 
an  estimable  wife  and  companion. 

But  we  must  hasten  on.     In  1810  he  removed 


JOHN    JAMES    AUDUBON.  55 

to  Henderson,  Kentucky.  That  year  he  met 
Alexander  Wilson,  the  Scotch  ornithologist.  The 
next  year  he  was  in  the  swamps  of  Florida  with 
rifle  and  pencil.  From  then  on,  he  yearly  gath 
ered  material  for  his  great  work.  In  1824  he 
went  to  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  and  in  1826 
to  England,  to  make  arrangements  for  the  pub 
lication  of  his  books.  He  secured  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  subscribers  at  $1,000  each, 
nearly  one-half  of  the  number  being  from  En 
gland  and  France.  "  The  Birds  of  America  " 
was  published  in  numbers,  each  number  contain 
ing  five  colored  plates  of  large  folio  size.  The 
first  number  appeared  in  1825,  and  the  first 
volume  in  1829.  The  fourth  and  last  volume 
was  completed  in  June,  1838.  A  smaller  edition 
of  the  work,  with  the  plates  reduced  in  size,  was 
published  in  1844,  in  seven  volumes. 

He  projected  a  work  on  "  The  Quadrupeds  of 
America",  but  old  age  compelled  him  to  abandon 
it  after  the  publication  of  the  first  volume  in 
1848.  He  died  in  New  York,  January  27,  1851. 


THE  REGULATORS. 

The  population  of  many  parts  of  America  Is  derived  from 
the  refuse  of  every  other  country.  I  hope  I  shall  elsewhere 
prove  to  you,  kind  reader,  that  even  in  this  we  have  reason 
to  feel  a  certain  degree  of  pride,  as  we  often  see  our  worst 
denizens  becoming  gradually  free  from  error,  and  at  length 
changing  to  useful  and  respectable  citizens.  The  most  de 
praved  of  these  emigrants  are  forced  to  retreat  farther  and 
farther  from  the  society  of  the  virtuous,  the  restraints  im- 


56        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

posed  they  find  incompatible  with  their  habits,  and  the  grati 
fication  of  their  unbridled  passions.  On  the  extreme  verge 
of  civilization,  however,  their  evil  propensities  find  more 
free  scope,  and  the  dread  of  punishment  for  their  deeds, 
or  the  infliction  of  that  punishment,  are  the  only  means  that 
prove  effectual  in  reforming  them. 

In  those  remote  parts,  no  sooner  is  it  discovered  that  an 
individual  has  conducted  himself  in  a  notoriously  vicious 
manner,  or  has  committed  some  outrage  upon  society,  than 
a  conclave  of  the  honest  citizens  takes  place,  for  the  purpose 
of  investigating  the  case,  with  a  rigour  without  which  no 
good  results  could  be  expected.  These  honest  citizens, 
selected  from  among  the  most  respectable  persons  in  the 
district,  and  vested  with  powers  suited  to  the  necessity  of 
preserving  order  on  the  frontiers,  are  named  Regulators. 
The  accused  person  is  arrested,  his  conduct  laid  open,  and 
if  he  is  found  guilty  of  a  first  crime,  he  is  warned  to  leave 
the  country,  and  go  farther  from  society  within  an  appointed 
time.  Should  the  individual  prove  so  callous  as  to  dis 
regard  the  sentence,  and  remain  in  the  same  neighborhood, 
to  commit  new  crimes,  than  woe  be  to  him;  for  the  Regu 
lators,  after  proving  him  guilty  a  second  time,  pass  and 
execute  a  sentence, "which,  if  not  enough  to  make  him  perish 
under  the  affliction  is  at  least  for  ever  impressed  upon  his 
memory.  The  punishment  inflicted  is  generally  a  severe 
castigation,  and  the  destruction  by  flre  of  his  cabin. 
Sometimes  in  cases  of  reiterated  theft  or  murder,  death  is 
considered  necessary;  and  in  some  instances,  delinquents  of 
the  worst  species  hare  been  shot,  after  which  their  heads 
have  been  stuck  on  poles,  to  deter  others  from  following 
their  example. 

The  punishment  of  castigation  is  performed  in  the  fol 
lowing  manner.  The  individual  convicted  of  an  offence  is 
led  to  some  remote  part  of  the  woods,  under  the  escort  of 
sometimes  forty  or  fifty  Regulators.  When  arrived  at  the 
chosen  spot,  the  criminal  is  made  fast  to  a  tree,  and  a  few  of 
the  Regulators  remain  with  him,  whilst  the  rest  scour  the  for 
ests,  to  assure  themselves  that  no  strangers  are  within  reach ; 
after  which  they  perform  an  extensive  ring,  arranging  them 
selves  on  their  horses,  well  armed  with  rifles  and  pistols,  at 
equal  distances,  and  in  each  other's  sight.  At  a  given  signal 
that  u  all's  ready,"  those  about  the  culprit,  having  provided 


JOHN    JAMES    AUDUBON.  57 

themselves  with  young  twigs  of  hickory,  administer  the 
number  of  lashes  prescribed  by  the  sentence,  untie  the  suf 
ferer,  and  order  him  to  leave  the  country  immediately. 

Probably  at  the  moment  when  I  am  copying  these  notes 
respecting  the  early  laws  of  the  frontier  people,  few  or  no 
regulating  parties  exist,  the  terrible  examples  that  were 
made  having  impressed  upon  the  new  settlers  a  salutary 
dread,  which  restrains  them  from  the  commission  of  flagrant 
crimes. 

It  is  in  some  of  his  descriptions  of  birds  that 
Audubon  is  specially  felicitous.  At  times,  his 
enthusiasm  carries  him  to  a  poetic  height  which 
virtually  leads  him  unconsciously  into  the  realm 
of  the  prose-poem.  See  whole  sentences  in  the 
following,  in  confirmation  of  this  statement: 


THE  MOCKING-BIRD. 
(From  "  The  Birds  of  America."} 

It  is  where  the  great  magnolia  shoots  up  its  majestic 
trunk,  crowned  with  ever  green  leaves,  and  decorated  with 
a  thousand  beautiful  flowers,  that  perfume  the  air  around; 
where  the  forests  and  the  fields  are  adorned  with  blossoms 
of  every  hue;  where  the  golden  orange  ornaments  the 
gardens  and  groves;  where  bignonias  of  various  kinds  in 
terlace  their  climbing  stems  around  tlie  white-flowered 
Stuartia,  and,  mounting  still  higher,  cover  the  summits  of 
the  lofty  trees  around,  accompanied  with  innumerable  vines, 
that  here  and  there  festoon  the  dense  foliage  of  the  mag 
nificent  woods,  lending  to  the  vernal  breeze  a  slight  por 
tion  of  the  perfume  of  their  clustered  flowers;  where  a 
genial  warmth  seldom  forsakes  the  atmosphere;  where 
berries  and  fruits  of  all  descriptions  are  met  wit'i  at  evtry 
step;  in  a  word^  kind  reader,  it  is  where  Nature  seems  to 
have  paused,  as  she  passed  over  the  earth,  and,  opening 
her  stores,  to  have  strewed  with  unsparing  hand  the  diver 
sified  seeds  from  which  have  sprung  all  the  beautiful  and 
splendid  forms  which  I  should  in  vain  attempt  to  describe, 


58         LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

that  the  mocking-bird  should  have  fixed  his  abode,  there 
only  that  its  wondrous  song  should  be  heard. 

But  where  is  that  favored  land?  It  is  in  that  great  con 
tinent  to  whose  distant  shores  Europe  has  sent  forth  her 
adventurous  sons,  to  wrest  for  themselves  a  habitation  from 
the  wild  inhabitants  of  the  forest,  and  to  convert  the  neg 
lected  soil  into  fields  of  exuberant  fertility  It  is,  reader, 
in  Louisiana  that  these  bounties  of  nature  are  in  the 
greatest  perfection.  It  is  there  that  you  should  listen  to 
the  love-song  of  the  mocking-bird,  as  I  at  this  moment  do. 
See  how  he  flies  around  his  mate,  with  motions  as  light 
as  those  of  the  butterfly!  His  tail  is  widely  expanded,  he 
mounts  in  the  air  to  a  small  distance,  describes  a  circle, 
andj  again  alighting,  approaches  his  beloved  one,  his  eyes 
gleaming  with  delight,  for  she  has  already  promised  to  be 
his  and  his  only.  His  beautiful  wings  are  gently  raised, 
he  bows  to  his  love,  and,  again  bouncing  upwards,  opens 
his  bill  and  pours  forth  his  melody,  full  of  exultation  at 
the  conquest  which  he  has  made. 

They  are  not  the  soft  sounds  of  the  flute  or  of  the  haut 
boy  that  I  hear,  but  the  sweeter  notes  of  Nature's  own 
music.  The  mellowness  of  the  song,  the  varied  modula 
tions  and  graduations,  the  extent  of  its  compass,  the  great 
brilliancy  of  execution,  are  unrivalled.  There  is  probably 
no  bird  in  the  world  that  possesses  all  the  musical  qualifi 
cations  of  this  king  of  song,  who  has  derived  all  from 
Nature's  self.  Yes,  reader,  all! 

No  sooner  has  he  again  alighted,  and  the  conjugal  con 
tract  has  been  sealed,  than  as  if  his  breast  was  about  to 
be  rent  with  delight,  he  again  pours  forth  his  notes  with 
more  softness  and  richness  than  before, 

He  now  soars  higher,  glancing  around  with  a  vigilant 
eye  to  assure  himself  that  none  has  witnessed  his  bliss. 
When  these  love-scenes,  visible  only  to  the  ardent  lover 
of  nature,  are  over,  he  dances  through  the  air,  full  of  ani 
mation  and  delight,  and  as  if  to  convince  his  lovely  mate 
that  to  enrich  her  hopes  he  has  much  more  love  in  store, 
he  that  moment  begins  anew  and  imitates  all  the  notes 
which  Nature  has  imparted  to  the  other  songsters  of  the 
grove. 


TIMOTHY  FLINT. 

Timothy  Flint  was  born  in  Reading,  Massa 
chusetts,  in  1780,  and  graduated  at  Harvard 
College  three  years  before  the  cession  of  the 
Louisiana  Territory  to  the  United  States.  Two 
years  later  he  was  the  pastor  of  the  Congrega 
tional  Church  at  Lunenburg,  Massachusetts.  Ill 
health  necessitating  a  change  in  climate,,  in  Octo 
ber,  1815,  he  left  for  the  West.  He  spent  the 
winter  of  1815-16  at  Cincinnati  and  in  the  spring 
of  the  latter  year  he  removed  to  St.  Louis  where 
he  resided  for  some  time.  He  next  located  at 
St.  Charles,  Missouri,  and  remained  there  three 
years  as  a  missionary.  He  then  went  to  Arkan 
sas,  but  after  a  few  months  returned  to  St. 
Charles. 

He  spent  the  winter  and  spring  of  the  year 
1822  in  New  Orleans  and  the  summer  in  Coving- 
ton,  Florida.  In  the  fall,  for  a  short  time,  he 
returned  to  New  Orleans,  from  where  he  went 
to  Alexandria;  he  then  returned  North. 

In  his  "Recollections  of  the  last  Ten  Years 
passed  in  occasional  Residences  and  Journeyiugs 
in  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  in  a  Series  of 
Letters  to  the  Reverend  James  Flint,  of  Salem, 
Massachusetts,"  published  at  Boston  in  1826, 
he  describes  his  wanderings  in  the  West  and  the 
South  and  what  he  saw  and  heard.  He  also 

(59) 


60        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

published  in  1826,  "Francis  Berrian ;  or,  The 
Mexican  Patriot,"  a  novel  of  adventures  in 
Mexico.  In  1827,  appeared  "  The  Geography 
and  History  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,"  in  two 
volumes  (Philadelphia);  "George  Mason,  the 
Young  Backwoodsman  "  (1829);  "  The  Shosho- 
nee  Valley,"  a  novel  in  two  volumes  (Cincinnati, 
1830)  ;  "Lectures  on  Natural  History,  Geology, 
Chemistry,  the  Application  of  Steam  and  Inter 
esting  discoveries  in  the  Arts"  (Boston,  1832)  ; 
"  Indian  Wars  of  the  West  "  (1833),  etc. 

He  edited  The  Knickerbocker  Magazine  dur 
ing  several  months  in  1833,  and  the  same  year 
translated  from  the  French,  Droz's  "  L'Art 
d'etre  Heureuse,"  to  which  he  made  additions  of 
his  own.  The  following  year  we  find  him  in 
Cincinnati  editing  The  Western  Magazine.  He 
held  the  editorship  of  this  periodical  during  three 
years.  "  Celibacy  Vanquished,"  a  translation 
from  the  French,  appeared  in  1834  (Philadel- 
delphia) ;  a  "Biographical  Memoir  of  Daniel 
Boone  "  (Cincinnati,  1834),  completes  the  list 
of  his  published  works.  His  "  Sketches  of  the 
Literature  of  the  United  States,"  which  he  con 
tributed  to  The  Athenoeum  of  London  during 
1835,  have  never  been  published  in  book  form. 

Diligently  as  I  have  sought,  I  have  been  able 
to  procure  only  one  of  Mr.  Flint's  books.  As  I 
have  not  had  time  to  examine  it,  I  will  call  on 
Judge  Hall  to  testify  for  me  as  to  the  quality  of 
Mr.  Flint's  work. 

Judge  James  Hall,  the  foremost  literary  critic  in 


TIMOTHY    FLINT.  61 

the  West  in  the  thirties  and  forties,  in  1830  was 
the  editor  of  The  Illinois  Monthly  Magazine,  the 
first  magazine  published  in  the  West,  and  which, 
strange  to  say,  was  issued  from  the  village  of 
Vandal ia,  Illinois.  Judge  Hall  edited  the  maga 
zine  from  Cincinnati,  where  he  practiced  law. 
In  the  December,  1830  (Vol.  I,  No.  3),  issue  of 
The  Illinois  Magazine,  is  a  notice  of  several 
of  Mr.  Flint's  books,  from  which  I  make  the 
following  extract : 

"  We  are  pleased  with  most  of  the  writings  of  this  gentle 
man,  and  would  be  glad  to  see  them  more  extensively 
circulated  in  the  West.  'Francis  Berrian ',  his  first  novel, 
has  been  much  read;  and,  we  think,  justly  admired.  As  a 
mere  love  story,  it  is  not  worth  a  farthing  *  *  *  The  plot 
has  but  little  interest;  and  those  who  read  the  book  with 
most  pleasure  are  precisely  the  persons  who  care  least  to 
remember  the  hero.  The  descriptive  and  didactic  parts 
contain  all  that  is  valuable,  and  upon  which  the  author 
would  be  willing,  as  we  suppose,  to  rest  his  claim  of  popu 
larity.  And  in  this  view  his  pretensions  are  of  high  order. 
As  a  describer  of  nature,  he  has  few  equals.  Few  can 
sketch  out  with  so  masterly  a  hand  the  gorgeous  scenery 
of  our  Western  solitudes.  He  has  the  heart  and  the  eye  of 
the  poet  for  the  beauties  of  the  mountain,  the  forest,  and 
the  stream,  and  for  the  sublimities  of  the  cataract  and  the 
storm.  The  account  of  the  valley  of  the  Comanches  has  all 
the  beauty  of  truth,  with  all  the  wildness  of  romance,  and 
may  be  quoted  as  a  specimen  of  felicitous  description. 
There  are  few  better  things  of  the  kind  in  the  English  lan 
guage;  and  we  are  proud  to  claim  its  author,  as  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  literature  in  the  west. 

<f  *  Arthur  Clenning  '  is,  to  us,  a  work  of  much  higher  in 
terest.  The  fable  is  unpromising,  but  the  genius  of  the 
writer  has  invested  it  with  attractions  which  are  the  more 
pleasing,  as  they  are  unexpected.  The  plan  is  new;  and  as 
we  read,  we  feel  indebted  to  the  author  for  turning  aside 
from  the  beaten  path,  and  treating  us  to  a  repast  of  novel- 


62       LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

ties.  It  is  refreshing  to  escape  from  the  oft  repeated  tales 
of  mawkish  sentimentality,  and  to  breathe  the  untainted 
atmosphere  of  nature  and  feeling.  *  *  *  'The  Shoshonee 
Valley'  has  all  the  characteristic  beauties  of  its  writer. 
The  elevated  and  meditative  cast  of  thought  —  the  graphic 
descriptions  of  nature  —  the  fondness  for  escaping  from  the 
abodes  of  civilized  men,  and  tracing  out  the  footsteps  of  the 
aboriginal  —  and  the  peculiar  imagery,  which  distinguish 
the  writings  of  this  author.  It  has  its  defects  too,  we  dare 
say ;  but  we  leave  the  task  of  pointing  these  out,  to  those  who 
may  choose  to  take  the  trouble;  being  satisfied  that  if  Mr. 
Flint  has  his  faults  as  a  writer,  he  has  many  excellent  qual 
ities  to  redeem  them,  and  that  his  industry,  his  genius,  and 
his  zeal  in  the  cause  of  letters,  entitle  him  to  the  cordial 
support  of  the  literary  and  patriotic." 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  thirties  he  removed 
to  New  Orleans  and  finally  returned  to  New  En 
gland  in  May,  1840.  On  his  way  north  he  was 
buried  for  several  hours  in  the  debris  of  a  house 
in  Natchez  which  was  demolished  by  a  tornado. 
He  died  from  the  effects  of  this  accident,  August 
18th,  1840. 


THE  SHORES  OF  THE  OHIO. 

(From   "  The  Geography  and  History  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley.") 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  November.  The  weather  up  to 
this  time  had  been,  with  the  exception  of  a  couple  of  days 
of  fog  and  rain,  delightful.  The  sky  has  a  lighter  and  milder 
azure  than  that  of  the  northern  states.  The  wide,  clean 
sand-bars  stretching  for  miles  together,  and  now  and  then 
a  flock  of  wild  geese,  swans,  or  sand-hill  cranes,  and  peli 
cans,  stalking  along  on  them ;  the  infinite  varieties  of  form 
of  the  towering  bluffs;  the  new  tribes  of  shrubs  and  plants 
on  the  shores;  the  exuberant  fertility  of  the  soil,  evidencing 
itself  in  the  natural  as  well  as  cultivated  vegetation,  in  the 


TIMOTHY    FLINT.  63 

height  and  size  of  the  corn,  of  itself  alone  a  matter  of  as 
tonishment  to  an  inhabitant  of  the  northern  states,  in  the 
thrifty  aspect  of  the  young  orchards,  literally  bending  under 
their  fruit,  the  surprising  size  and  rankness  of  the  weeds, 
and,  in  the  enclosure  where  cultivation  had  been  for  a  while 
suspended,  the  matted  abundance  of  every  kind  of  vegeta 
tion  that  ensued,  —  all  these  circumstances  united  to  give 
a  novelty  and  freshness  to  the  scenery.  The  bottom  forests 
everywhere  display  the  huge  sycamore,  the  king  of  the 
western  forest,  in  all  places  an  interesting  tree,  but  particu 
larly  so  here,  and  in  autumn,  when  you  see  its  white  and 
long  branches  among  its  red  and  yellow  fading  leaves. 
You  may  add,  that  in  all  the  trees  that  have  been  stripped  of 
their  leaves,  you  see  them  crowned  with  verdant  tufts  of 
the  Viscus  or  mistletoe,  with  its  beautiful  white  berries, 
and  their  trunks  entwined  with  grapevines,  some  of  them  in 
size  not  much  short  of  the  human  body.  To  add  to  this 
union  of  pleasant  circumstances,  there  is  a  delightful  tem 
perature  of  the  air,  more  easily  felt  than  described. 

In  New  England,  when  the  sky  was  partially  covered  with 
fleecy  clouds,  and  the  wind  blew  very  gently  from  the  south 
west,  I  have  sometimes  had  the  same  sensations  from  the 
temperature  there.  A  slight  degree  of  languor  ensues;  and 
the  irritability  that  is  caused  by  the  rougher  and  more 
bracing  air  of  the  north,  and  which  is  more  favorable  to 
physical  strength  and  activity  than  enjoyment,  gives  place  to 
a  tranquillity  highly  propitious  to  meditation.  There  is 
something,  too,  in  the  gentle  and  almost  imperceptible  mo 
tion,  as  you  sit  on  the  deck  of  the  boat,  and  see  the  trees 
apparently  moving  by  you,  and  new  groups  of  scenery  still 
opening  upon  your  eye,  together  with  the  view  of  these 
ancient  and  magnificent  forests,  which  the  axe  has  not  yet 
despoiled,  the  broad  and  beautiful  river,  the  earth  and  the 
sky,  which  render  such  a  trip  at  this  season  the  very  element 
of  poetry.  Let  him  that  has  within  him  the  bona  indoles, 
the  poetic  mania,  as  yet  unwhipt  of  justice,  not  think  to  sail 
down  the  Ohio  under  such  circumstances,  without  venting 
to  the  genius  of  the  river,  the  rocks,  and  the  woods,  the 
swans,  and  perchance  his  distant  beloved,  his  dolorous 
notes. 


64        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


PERSONAL  APPEARANCE  OF  BOONE. 

(From  "  Biographical  Memoir  of  Daniel  Boone."*) 
Here,  on  a  river  (in  northern  Missouri)  with  a  course  of 
something  more  than  a  thousand  leagues,  all  through  wilder 
ness,  an  ample,  and  a  pleasant  range  was  open  to  his  imag 
ination.  We  saw  him  on  those  banks.  With  thin  gray  hair, 
a  high  forehead,  a  keen  eye,  a  cheerful  expression,  a  singu 
larly  bold  conformation  of  countenance  and  breast,  and  a 
sharp  commanding  voice;  and  with  a  creed  for  the  future 
embracing  not  many  articles  beyond  his  red  rival  hunters, 
he  appeared  to  us  the  same  Daniel  Boone,  if  one  may  use 
the  expression,  jerked  and  dried  to  high  preservation,  that 
we  had  figured  as  the  wanderer  in  the  woods,  and  the  slayer 
of  bears  and  Indians.  He  could  no  longer  well  descry  the 
wild  turkey  on  the  trees,  but  his  eye  still  kindled  at  the 
hunter's  tale;  and  he  remarked  that  the  population  on  that 
part  of  the  Missouri  was  becoming  too  dense,  and  the  farms 
too  near  each  other  for  comfortable  range;  and  that  he  never 
wished  to  reside  in  a  place,  where  he  could  not  fall  trees 
enough  into  his  yard  to  keep  up  his  winter's  fire.  Dim  as 
was  his  eye,  with  age,  it  would  not  have  been  difficult,  we 
apprehend,  to  have  obtained  him  as  a  volunteer  on  a  hunting 
expedition  over  the  Rocky  Mountains.  No  man  ever  ex 
emplified  more  strongly,  "  the  ruling  passion  strong  in 
death." 


THOMAS  H.  BENTON. 

Thomas  HartBenton,  Missouri's  greatest  son, 
and  whose  public  career  in  the  United  States 
Senate  during  thirty  years,  forms  so  notable  a 
part  of  the  history  of  Missouri  in  the  national 
Congress,  was  a  close  and  enthusiastic  student, 
ambitious  to  be  known  for  erudition.  Bracken- 
ridge  tells  us  in  his  "  Recollections  of  Persons 
and  Places  in  the  West  ",  that  he  found,  in  St. 
Louis,  that  Benton  was  taking  lessons  in  French 
from  Herr  Shewe  and  given  much  to  the  mid 
night  lamp.  (This  is  the  same  Herr  Shewe 
who,  according  to  Brackenridge,  was  "  a  scholar, 
a  chemist,  a  painter,  a  divine,  a  philosopher,  a 
professor  of  languages,"  etc.;  he  was  a  Prus 
sian  by  birth  and  had  six  diplomas,  "  von  from 
de  Elezias  Acatemy  from  Baris,  von  from  de 
Gollege  aus  Berlin",  etc.  And  this  prodigy 
of  learning  was  content  to  reside  in  St.  Louis 
in  those  primitive  days!) 

But  to  resume:  Thomas  H.  Benton  was  born 
near  Hillsborough,  North  Carolina,  March  14. 
1782.  His  father  died  when  he  was  only  eight 
years  old,  and  his  early  education  was  not  all 
it  might  have  been.  His  mother  removing  to 
Tennessee,  to  occupy  a  piece  of  land  belong 
ing  to  the  estate  left  by  his  father,  young  Ben- 
ton  began  the  study  of  law.  After  being  ad- 
(65)  5 


66        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

initted  to  practice,  he  opened  an  office  and  soon 
acquired  a  reputation  as  a  promising  young  law 
yer  which  brought  him  a  goodly  patronage. 
He  was  elected-  to  the  state  legislature  and 
served  one  term,  during  which  he  advocated 
and  secured  the  passage  of  an  enactment  giv 
ing  slaves  the  benefit  of  trial  by  jury.  About 
this  time,  he  formed  the  friendship  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  who,  when  he  became  a  major-general 
during  the  War  of  1812,  made  Benton  one  of  his 
aides-de-camp.  Benton  afterwards  became  col 
onel  of  a  volunteer  regiment  and  served  with  his 
regiment  through  the  war. 

In  1815,  Colonel  Benton  removed  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law.  He 
soon  took  active  part  in  politics,  and  began  the 
publication  of  a  daily  newspaper,  The  Missouri 
Enquirer.  So  pronounced  was  his  influence  in 
politics  that  when  Missouri  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  in  1821,  he  was  chosen  as  one  of  her  two 
national  senators.  During  the  succeeding  thirty 
years,  he  was  one  of  the  giant  figures  of  the 
country.  The  peer  of  his  associates,  Webster, 
Clay,  Calhoun  —  he  has  left  a  name  that  will 
endure  as  long  as  the  memory  of  those  historic 
days  shall  continue  part  and  parcel  of  the  heritage 
of  every  true  American. 

I  will  pass  over  the  succeeding  years  of  Sena 
tor  Benton' s  life.  The  ingratitude  of  his  adopted 
state,  is  not  a  thing  that  Missourians  can  recall 
with  pride.  He  may  have  been  an  egotist ;  he 
may  have  been  autocratic  in  his  ways,  but  the 


THOMAS    H.    BENTON.  67 

great  commonwealth  of  Missouri  was  infinitely 
safer  in  his  hands  that  it  proved  to  be,  after  his 
downfall,  in  the  hands  of  the  pigmies  who  hurled 
the  giant  from  his  pedestal. 

Senator  Bentou  wielded  an  able  pen,  as  is 
shown  in  his  "  Thirty  Years'  View;  or,  a 
History  of  the  Working  of  the  American  Gov 
ernment  for  Thirty  Years  from  1820  to  1850" 
(New  York,  1855-56).  Sixty-five  thousand  cop 
ies  of  each  of  these  two  volumes  were  sold  within 
thirty  days  of  their  publication.  William  Cullen 
Bryant  considered  it  one  of  the  greatest  works 
in  American  literature.  His  other  published 
works  were:  "  An  Historical  and  Legal  Exam 
ination  of  that  part  of  the  Decision  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  in  the  Dred 
Scott  case  ",  etc.  (New  York,  1857)  ;  and,  "  An 
Abridgment  of  the  Debates  of  Congress  from 
1789  to  1856  ",  etc.  In  sixteen  volumes. 

Twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago,  I  saw  a  good- 
sized  pamphlet  in  a  private  library  (since  de 
stroyed  by  fire)  which  is  never  mentioned  by 
writers  on  Senator  Benton.  I  made  a  copy  of 
the  title  page  at  the  time;  here  it  is:  "Selec 
tions  of  Editorial  Articles  from  the  St.  Louis 
'  Enquirer  '  on  the  Subjects  of  Texas  and  Oregon, 
with  a  speech  on  the  occupancy  of  the  Columbia 
Kiver.  St.  Louis,  1844." 

Senator  Benton  died  in  Washington,  April  10, 
1858.  He  is  buried  in  St.  Louis. 


68        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


CHARACTER  OF   NATHANIEL  MACON. 

(From   "  Thirty  Tears'   Fieio.") 

Philosophic  in  his  temperament  and  wise  in  his  conduct, 
governed  in  all  his  actions  by  reason  and  judgment,  and 
deeply  imbued  with  Bible  images,  this  virtuous  and  patriotic 
man  (whom  Mr.  Jefferson  called  "  the  last  of  the  Romans  ") 
had  long  fixed  the  term  of  his  political  existence  at  the  age 
which  the  Psalmist  assigns  for  the  limit  of  manly  life: 
"  The  days  of  our  years  are  threescore  years  and  ten;  and 
if  by  reason  of  strength  they  be  fourscore  years,  yet  is  their 
strength  labor  and  sorrow,  for  it  is  soon  cut  off,  and  we  fly 
away."  He  touched  that  age  in  1828;  and  true  to  all  his 
purposes,  he  was  true  to  his  resolve  in  this,  and  executed  it 
with  the  quietude  and  indifference  of  an  ordinary  transac 
tion.  He  was  in  the  middle  of  a  third  senatorial  term,  and 
in  the  full  possession  of  all  his  faculties  of  mind  and  body ; 
but  his  time  for  retirement  had  come  —  the  time  fixed  by 
himself,  but  fixed  upon  conviction  and  for  well  considered 
reasons,  and  inexorable  to  him  as  if  fixed  by  fate.  To  the 
friends  who  urged  him  to  remain  to  the  end  of  his  term,  and 
who  insisted  that  his  mind  was  as  good  as  ever,  he  would 
answer,  that  it  was  good  enough  yet  to  let  him  know  that 
he  ought  to  quit  office  before  his  mind  quit  him,  and  that  he 
did  not  mean  to  risk  the  fate  of  the  Archbishop  of  Grenada. 
He  resigned  his  senatorial  honors  as  he  had  worn  them  — 
meekly,  unostentatiously,  in  a  letter  of  thanks  and  gratitude 
to  the  General  Assembly  of  his  State;  —  and  gave  to  repose 
at  home  that  interval  of  thought  and  quietude  which  every 
wise  man  would  wish  to  place  between  the  turmoil  of  life 
and  the  stillness  of  eternity.  He  had  nine  years  of  this 
tranquil  enjoyment,  and  died  without  pain  or  suffering  June 
29th,  1837,  —  characteristic  in  death  as  in  life.  It  was  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  when  he  felt  that  supreme  hour  had 
come,  had  himself  full-dressed  with  his  habitual  neatness, 
walked  in  the  room  and  lay  down  upon  the  bed,  by  turns 
conversing  kindly  with  those  who  were  about  him,  and  show 
ing  by  his  conduct  that  he  was  ready  and  waiting,  but 
hurrying  nothing.  It  was  the  death  of  Socrates,  all  but  the 
hemlock,  and  in  that  full  filth  of  which  the  Grecian  sage 


THOMAS    H.    BENTON.  f>9 

had  only  a  glimmering.  He  directed  his  own  grave  on  the 
point  of  a  sterile  ridge  (where  nobody  would  wish  to 
plough),  and  covered  with  a  pile  of  rough  flint-stone  (which 
nobody  would  wish  to  build  with)  deeming  this  sterility 
and  the  uselessness  of  this  rock  the  best  secuiity  for  that 
undisturbed  repose  of  the  bones  which  is  still  desirable  to 
those  who  are  indifferent  to  monuments. 

In  almost  all  strongly  marked  characters  there  is  usually 
some  incident  or  sign,  in  early  life,  which  shows  that  char 
acter,  and  reveals  to  the  close  observer  the  type  of  the 
future  man.  So  it  was  with  Mr.  Macon.  His  firmness,  his 
patriotism,  his  self-denial,  his  devotion  to  duty  and  disre 
gard  of  office  and  emolument;  his  modesty,  integrity,  self- 
control,  and  subjection  of  conduct  to  the  convictions  of  rea 
son  and  the  dictates  of  virtue,  all  so  steadily  exemplified 
in  a  long  life,  were  all  shown  from  the  early  age  of  eighteen, 
in  the  miniature  representation  of  individual  action,  and 
only  confirmed  in  the  subsequent  public  exhibitions  of  a 
long,  beauliful,  and  exalted  career. 


THE  DUEL  BETWEEN  RANDOLPH  AND  CLAY. 

(From  "  Thirty  Years'   Fi'ew.") 

Saturday,  the  8th  of  April  (1826)  —  the  day  for  the  duel  — 
had  come,  and  almost  the  hour.  It  was  noon,  and  the  meet 
ing  was  to  take  place  at  4  :30  o'clock.  I  had  gone  to  see  Mr. 
Randolph  before  the  hour,  and  for  a  purpose;  and,  besides, 
it  was  far  on  the  way,  as  he  lived  half-way  to  Georgetown, 
and  we  had  to  pass  through  that  place  to  cross  the  Potomac 
into  Virginia  at  the  Little  Falls  Bridge.  I  had  heard  noth 
ing  from  him  on  the  point  of  not  returning  the  fire  since  the 
first  communication  to  that  effect,  eight  days  before.  I 
had  no  reason  to  doubt  the  steadiness  of  his  determination, 
but  felt  a  desire  to  have  fresh  assurance  of  it  after  so  many 
days'  delay,  and  so  near  approach  of  the  trying  moment.  I 
knew  it  would  not  do  to  ask  him  the  question  — any  ques 
tion  which  would  imply  a  doubt  of  his  word.  His  sensitive 
feelings  would  be  hurt  and  annoyed  at  it.  So  I  fell  upon  a 
scheme  to  get  the  inquiry  without  seeming  to  get  it.  I  told 
him  of  my  visit  to  Mr.  Clay  the  night  before  — of  the  late 


70        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

sitting  —  the  child  asleep  —  the  unconscious  tranquillity  of 
Mrs.  Clay;  and  added,  I  could  not  help  reflecting  how  dif 
ferent  all  that  might  be  the  next  night.  He  understood  me 
perfectly,  and  immediately  said,  with  a  quietude  of  look  and 
expression  which  seemed  to  rebuke  an  unworthy  doubt,  / 
shall  do  nothing  to  disturb  the  sleep  of  the  child  or  the  repose 
of  the  mother,  and  went  on  with  his  employment  *  *  * 
which  was,  making  codicils  to  his  will,  all  in  the  way  of  re 
membrance  to  friends.  *  *  * 

I  withdrew  a  little  way  into  the  woods,  and  kept  my  eyes 
fixed  on  Mr.  Randolph,  who  I  then  knew  to  be  the  only  one 
in  danger.  I  saw  him  receive  the  fire  of  Mr.  Clay,  saw  the 
gravel  knocked  up  in  the  same  place,  saw  Mr.  Randolph 
raise  his  pistol —  discharge  it  in  the  air;  heard  him  say,  / 
do  not  fire  at  you,  Mr.  Clay,  and  immediately  advancing  and 
offering  his  hand.  He  was  met  in  the  same  spirit.  They 
met  halfway,  shook  hands,  Mr.  Randolph  saying,  jocosely, 
You  owe  me  a  coat,  Mr.  Clay  —  (the  bullet  had  passed 
through  the  skirt  of  the  coat,  very  near  the  hip)  —  to  which 
Mr.  Clay  promptly  and  happily  replied,  I  am  glad  the  debt  is 
no  greater.  I  had  come  up  and  was  prompt  to  proclaim 
what  I  had  been  obliged  to  keep  secret  for  eight  days.  The 
joy  of  all  was  extreme  at  this  happy  termination  of  a  most 
critical  affair,  and  we  immediately  left,  with  lighter  hearts 
than  we  brought.  *  *  * 

On  Monday  the  parties  exchanged  cards,  and  social  rela 
tions  were  formally  and  courteously  restored.  It  was  about 
the  last  high-toned  duel  that  I  have  witnessed,  and  among 
the  highest-toned  that  I  have  ever  witnessed;  and  so  hap 
pily  conducted  to  a  fortunate  issue  —  a  result  due  to  the 
noble  character  of  the  seconds  as  well  as  to  the  generous 
and  heroic  spirit  of  the  principals. 

Certainly,  duelling  is  bad,  and  has  been  put  down,  but  not 
quite  so  bad  as  its  substitute  —  revolvers,  bowie-knives, 
black-guarding,  and  street  assassinations  under  the  pretext 
of  sell-defense. 


BEVERLY  TUCKER. 

A  writer  who  could  win  the  encomiums  of 
Poe  and  Sinims,  is  certainly  worthy  of  our  close 
attention. 

N.  Beverly  Tucker,  at  one  time  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  St.  Louis  County  Court,  was  the 
author  of  "  The  Partisan  Leader  ", published  in 
1836,  and  in  which  he  virtually  outlined  the 
programme  of  the  rebellion  of  1861;  he  wrote 
this  work  while  living  on  his  farm  in  Florissant, 
St.  Louis  County,  Missouri,  where  he  resided 
from  1815  to  1831.  He  was  an  original,  and  is 
said  to  have  had  his  office,  his  library  and  his 
study  in  the  stump  of  a  hollow  tree.  In  this 
stump  he  also  wrote,  "George  Balcombe",  a 
thoroughly  Western  novel  descriptive  of  early 
border  times.  William  Gilmore  Sinims  says  of 
it  that  "  it  is  one  of  the  most  vigorous  of  Amer 
ican  novels  as  a  narrative  of  action  and  the  delin 
eation  of  mental  power  ". 

Poe,  in  the  following  notice  of  "  George 
Balcombe",  does  exactly  one  of  the  two  things 
that  he  was  notorious  for  doing  —  either  over- 
lauding  or  over-condemning:  "'George  Bal 
combe  ',  we  are  induced  to  regard,  upon  the 
whole,  as  the  best  American  novel.  There  have 
been  few  books  of  its  peculiar  kind,  we  think, 
written  in  any  country,  much  its  superior.  Its 

(71) 


72        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

interest  is  intense  from  beginning  to  end.  Talent 
of  a  lofty  order  is  evinced  in  every  page  of  it. 
Its  most  distinguished  features  are  invention, 
vigor,  almost  audacity,  of  thought  —  great 
variety  of  what  the  German  critics  term  intrigue, 
and  exceeding  ingenuity  and  finish  in  the  adapta 
tion  of  its  component  parts .  Nothing  is  want 
ing  to  a  complete  whole,  and  nothing  is  out  of 
place,  or  out  of  time.  Without  being  chargeable 
in  the  least  degree  with  imitation,  the  novel 
bears  a  strong  family  resemblance  to  the  *  Caleb 
Williams'  of  Godwin.  Thinking  thus  highly  of 
'  George  Balconibe  ',  we  still  do  not  wish  to  be 
understood  as  ranking  it  with  the  more  brilliant 
fictions  of  some  of  the  living  novelists  of  Great 
Britain",  etc.  ("  Marginalia  ",  CCXXV). 

Poe  wrote  this  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that 
Cooper  had  published  "  The  Spy  "  in  1821,  and 
"The  Pilot"  in  1823! 

Judge  Beverly  Tucker  was  the  son  of  the  dis 
tinguished  poet  and  jurist,  St.  George  Tucker, 
author  of  "  Days  of  My  Youth  ",  "  Slavery  ", 
"  Alien  and  Sedition  Laws  ",  and  other  works, 
and  the  half-brother  of  John  Randolph  of 
Roanoke  who  was  "  afraid  of  insanity  ".  From 
Missouri  he  moved  to  Virginia  where  he  was 
professor  of  Jurisprudence  in  William  and  Mary 
College  from  1834  to  1851.  He  was  born  in 
Matoax,  Virginia,  September  6th,  1784,  and 
died  in  Winchester,  Virginia,  August  20,  1851. 
His  other  published  works  are:  "  Discourse  on 
the  Importance  of  the  Study  of  Political  Science 


BEVERLY    TUCKER.  73 

as  a  Branch  of  Academic  Education  in  the  United 
States  "  (Richmond,  1840)  ;  "  Discourse  on  the 
Dangers  that  threaten  the  Free  Institutions  of 
the  United  States"  etc.  (Richmond,  1841) ; 
these  are  both  pamphlets;  "A  Series  of  Lec 
tures  intended  to  prepare  the  Student  for  the 
Study  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  S  ates  " 
(Philadelphia,  1845),  and  ''Principles  of  Plead 
ing"  (Boston,  1846).  "  Gertrude  ",  a  novel 
which  appeared  in  The  Southern  Literary  Mes 
senger  in  1844-45,  has  never  been  issued  in 
book  form. 

Many  papers  of  his  remain  uncollected  in  the 
pages  of  The  Southern  Review  and  The  Southern 
Literary  Messenger.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  engaged  on  a  "  Life  "  of  John  Randolph, 
his  half-brother. 


THE  PARTISAN  LEADER. 

(From  "  The  Partisan  Leader.'11) 

Toward  the  latter  end  of  the  month  of  October,  1849, 
about  the  hour  of  noon,  a  horseman  was  seen  ascending  a 
narrow  valley  at  the  Eastern  foot  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  His 
road  nearly  followed  the  course  of  a  small  stream,  which, 
issuing  from  a  deep  gorge  of  the  mountain,  winds  its  way 
between  lofty  hills,  and  terminates  its  brief  and  brawling 
course  in  one  of  the  larger  tributaries  of  the  Dan.  A 
glance  of  the  eye  took  in  the  whole  of  the  little  settlement 
that  lined  its  banks,  and  measured  the  resources  of  its 
inhabitants.  *  *  * 

At  length  he  heard  a  sound  of  voices,  and  then  a  shrill 
whistle,  and  all  was  still.  Immediately,  some  half  a  dozen 
men,  leaping  a  fence,  ranged  themselves  across  the  road 


74        LITEKATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

and  faced  him.  He  observed  that  each,  as  he  touched  the 
ground,  laid  hold  of  a  rifle  that  leaned  against  the  enclosure, 
and  this  circumstance  drew  his  attention  to  twenty  or  more 
of  these  formidable  weapons,  ranged  along  in  the  same 
position.  *  *  *  As  the  traveler  drew  up  his  horse,  one 
of  the  men,  speaking  in  a  low  and  quiet  tone,  said,  u  We 
want  a  word  with  you,  stranger,  before  you  go  any  farther." 
11  As  many  as  you  please,"  replied  the  other,  "  for  I  am 
tired  and  hungry,  and  so  is  my  horse;  and  I  am  glad  to 
find  some  one  at  last,  of  whom  I  may  hope  to  purchase 
something  for  both  of  us  to  eat." 

"  That  you  can  have  quite  handy,"  said  the  countryman, 
"for  we  have  been  gathering  corn,  and  were  just  going  to 
our  dinner.  If  you  will  only  just  'light,  sir,  one  of  the  boys 
can  feed  your  horse,  and  you  can  take  such  as  we  have  to 
give  you." 

The  invitation  was  accepted;  the  horse  was  taken  in 
charge  by  a  long-legged  lad  of  fifteen,  without  hat  or  shoes; 
and  the  whole  party  crossed  the  fence  together. 

At  the  moment  a  man  was  seen  advancing  toward  them, 
who,  observing  their  approach,  fell  back  a  few  steps,  and 
threw  himself  on  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  a  large  old 
apple  tree. 

Around  this  were  clustered  a  motley  group  of  men, 
women  and  boys,  who  opened  and  made  way  for  the  stran 
ger.  He  advanced,  and  bowing  gracefully  took  off  his  for 
age  cap,  from  beneath  which  a  quantity  of  soft  curling  flaxen 
hair  fell  over  his  brow  and  cheeks.  Every  eye  was  now 
fixed  on  him,  with  an  expression  rather  of  interest  than  of 
mere  curiosity.  Every  countenance  was  serious  and  com 
posed,  and  all  wore  an  air  of  business,  except  that  a  slight 
titter  was  heard  among  the  girls,  who,  hovering  behind  the 
backs  of  their  mothers,  peeped  through  the  crowd,  to  get  a 
look  at  the  handsome  stranger. 

As  the  youth  approached,  the  man  at  the  foot  of  the  tree 
arose,  and  returned  the  salutation,  which  seemed  unheeded 
by  the  rest.  He  advanced  a  step  or  two  and  invited  the 
stranger  to  be  seated.  This  action,  and  the  looks  turned 
toward  him  by  the  others,  showed  that  he  was  in  authority 
of  some  sort  among  them.  With  him,  therefore,  our  trav 
eler  concluded  that  the  proposed  conference  was  to  be 
held.  *  *  * 


BEVERLY    TUCKER.  75 

He  was  at  length  asked  whence  he  came,  and  answered, 
from  the  neighborhood  of  Richmond.  —  From  which  side  of 
the  river?  —  From  the  north  side.  —  Did  he  know  anything 
of  Van  Courtlandt?  —  His  camp  was  at  Bacon's  branch,  just 
above  the  town.  —  What  force  had  he? 

"  I  cannot  say,  certainly,"  he  replied,  "  but  common  fame 
made  his  numbers  about  four  thousand." 

"  Is  that  all,  on  both  sides  of  the  river?  "  said  his  inter 
rogator. 

"  0,  no!  Col.  Loyal's  regiment  it  at  Petersburg,  and  Col. 
Cole's  at  Manchester;  each  about  five  hundred  strong,  and 
there  is  a  piquet  on  the  Bridge  Island." 

tl  Did  you  cross  there  ?  " 

"I  did  not." 

"  Where,  then?  "  he  was  asked. 

"  I  can  hardly  tell  you,"  he  replied,  "  it  was  at  a  private 
ford,  several  miles  above  Cartersville." 

"Was  that  not  mightily  out  of  the  way?  What  made 
you  come  so  far  around?  " 

"  It  was  safer  traveling  on  that  side  of  the  river." 

"Then  the  people  on  that  side  of  the  river  are  your 
friends?  " 

"  No.  They  are  not.  But,  as  they  are  all  of  a  color  there 
they  would  let  me  pass,  and  ask  no  questions,  as  long  as  I 
traveled  due  west.  On  this  side,  if  you  are  one  man's  friend 
you  are  the  next  man's  enemy;  and  I  had  no  mind  to 
answer  questions." 

"  You  seem  to  answer  them  now  mighty  freely." 

"That  is  true.  I  am  like  a  letter  that  tells  all  it  knows 
as  soon  as  it  gets  to  the  right  hand;  but  it  does  not  want 
to  be  opened  before  that." 

"  And  how  do  you  know  that  you  have  got  to  the  right 
hand  now?  " 

"Because  I  know  where  I  am." 

"  And  where  are  you?  " 

uJust  at  the  foot  of  the  Devil's  Backbone,"  replied  the 
youth. 

"  Were  you  ever  here  before?  " 

"Never  in  my  life." 

"How  do  you  know  then  where  you  are?"  asked  the 
mountaineer. 

"  Because   the   right   way  to   avoid  questions  is   to  ask 


76        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

none.  So  I  took  care  to  know  all  about  the  road,  and  the 
country,  and  the  place,  before  I  left  home." 

"  And  who  told  you  all  about  it?  " 

*'  Suppose  I  should  tell  you,"  answered  the  young  man, 
"  that  Van  Courtland  had  a  map  of  the  country  made,  and 
gave  it  to  me." 

"  I  should  say  you  were  a  traitor  to  him,  or  a  spy  upon 
us,"  was  the  stern  reply. 

At  the  same  moment,  a  startled  hum  was  heard  from 
the  crowd,  and  the  press  moved  and  swayed  for  an  instant, 
as  if  a  sort  of  spasm  had  pervaded  the  whole  mass. 

"  You  are  a  good  hand  at  questioning,"  said  the  youth, 
with  a  smile,  "  but  without  asking  a  single  question,  I  have 
found  out  all  I  wanted  to  know." 

lt  And  what  was  that?  "  asked  the  other. 

"  Whether  you  were  friends  to  the  Yorkers  and  Yankees, 
or  to  poor  old  Virginia." 

"And  which  are  we  for?"  added  the  laconic  moun 
taineer. 

"  For  old  Virginia  forever,"  replied  the  youth  *  *  * 
It  was  echoed  in  a  shout,  *  *  *  their  proud  war-cry 
of  "  old  Virginia  forever." 


HENRY    M.    BRACKENRIDGE. 

The  first  writer  of  historic  importance  was 
Henry  M.  Brackenridge,  the  still  more  distin 
guished  son  of  a  distinguished  father.  His 
father  was  Hugh  Henry  Brackenridge,  the  author 
of  <k  Bunker's  Hill  "  and  "  Modern  Chivalry  ". 

Henry  M.  Brackenridge  was  born  in  Pittsburg, 
May  llth,  1786.  His  education  was  begun  at  a 
very  early  age  by  his  father,  and  at  seven  years 
of  age  he  was  sent  to  a  French  school  at  the 
old  Missouri  village  of  St.  Genevieve,  then  in 
Upper  Louisiana.  Here  he  learned  French  so 
rapidly  that  in  six  months'  time  he  had  for 
gotten  what  English  he  knew.  At  ten  years  of 
age  he  returned  to  Pittsburg,  where  his  edu 
cation  was  resumed  at  his  father's  house  by 
his  father  and  the  tutors  who  were  under  his 
direction. 

When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  his  father 
received  the  appointment  of  judge  of  the  Penn 
sylvania  Supreme  Court,  and  young  Bracken 
ridge  was  placed  for  two  years  in  the  office 
of  the  clerk  of  the  court  as  a  preparation  for  the 
subsequent  study  of  the  law.  At  twenty  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  and  removed  to  Carlisle, 
where  his  father  then  resided.  At  twenty-one 
he  removed  to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  to  engage 
in  practice,  but  failing  to  secure  clients  he 

(77) 


78        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

shortly  took  up  his  residence  in  Somerset,  a 
small  town  where  there  was  but  one  lawyer. 
While  he  succeeded  fairly  well  he  still  had  time, 
he  tells  us  in  his  "Recollections  of  Persons  and 
Places  in  the  West",  for  the  reading  of  the 
great  English  historians  and  the  study  of  Italian 
and  German. 

In  1810,  Brackenridge  revisited  St.  Gene  vie  vc, 
and  then  St.  Louis,  where  he  lingered  during  the 
sittings  of  the  courts,  and  finally  concluded  to 
remain  and  collect  material  for  a  history  of  the 
country.  He  contributed  articles  to  The  Mis 
souri  Gazette  (now  The  St.  Louis  Republic) 
which  were  afterwards  used  as  the  basis  of  his 
work  on  Louisiana,  published  in  Pittsburg  in 
1812.  While  in  St.  Louis  he  also  studied  Span 
ish. 

In  the  fall  of  1811,  he  removed  to  New  Or 
leans,  making  the  trip  on  a  keel-boat,  and  was 
shortly  afterwards  appointed  Deputy  Attorney- 
General  for  the  Territory  of  Orleans,  which 
subsequently  became  the  state  of  Louisiana. 
The  following  year  he  was  appointed  District 
Judge.  His  leisure  time  he  devoted  to  the  study 
of  Spanish  law  and  Spanish  literature.  In  1814, 
he  once  more  took  up  his  residence  in  Baltimore, 
where  he  wrote  a  "  History  of  the  Late  War 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain", 
which  had  just  ended.  His  next  literary  work 
was  a  pamphlet  of  one  hundred  pages  in  favor 
of  the  acknowledgment  of  the  independence  of 
the  South  American  Republics.  In  1817,  he  was 


HENRY    M.    BRACKENRIDGE.  79 

appointed  secretary  to  the  government  Commis 
sioners  to  the  South  American  Republics. 

In  1818  he  published,  "  A  Voyage  to  South 
America"  (in  two  volumes),  the  result  of  his 
observations  and  inquiries  during  his  trip  to 
South  America.  Humboldt  says  that  these  vol 
umes  contain  "  an  extraordinary  mass  of  infor 
mation  replete  with  philosophic  views."  Having 
returned  to  Baltimore,  he  resumed  the  practice  of 
the  law,  and  served  two  terms  in  the  Legislature 
of  Maryland.  His  want  of  sufficient  clients  to 
net  him  a  reasonable  income  for  his  daily  exist 
ence,  induced  him  to  return  to  St.  Louis  in  the 
fall  of  1820,  but  in  April,  1821,  he  took  passage 
for  New  Orleans  intending  to  finally  settle  in 
that  city.  However,  meeting  General  Andrew 
Jackson  on  the  boat,  he  landed  with  him  in 
Florida  as  his  secretary,  negotiator  and  counsel 
lor,  General  Jackson  having  been  appointed 
Governor  in  Florida.  In  these  capacities,  his 
knowledge  of  the  Spanish  and  the  French  laws 
and  languages  was  invaluable.  In  May,  1821, 
he  was  appointed  United  States  Judge  for  the 
Western  District  of  Florida,  which  office  he  held 
until  1832,  when,  failing  at  reappointment,  he 
removed  with  his  wife,  a  wealthy  Philadelphia 
lady,  to  Pittsburg.  Here  he  engaged  actively  in 
politics  and  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  litera 
ture,  writing  frequently  for  the  reviews  and  the 
papers,  and  publishing  a  number  of  pamphlets. 
In  1834,  appeared  his  "  Recollections  of  Persons 
and  Places  in  the  West  ",  his  principal  work. 


80       LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

In  1840,  Mr.  Brackenridge  was  elected  to 
congress.  In  1841 ,  President  Harrison  appointed 
him  a  Commissioner  under  the  Mexican  Treaty ; 
in  1844  he  served  a  term  in  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Legislature.  In  1842,  he  published,  "An 
Essay  on  Trusts  and  Trustees".  The  balance 
of  his  life  was  devoted  to  literary  pursuits.  He 
died  January  18th,  1871. 


ST.    GENEVIEVE,   CLOSE    OF    THE    18TH    CENTURY. 

(From  "  Recollections  of  Persons  and  Places  in  the  West.") 
My  guardian  carried  me  directiy  to  the  house  of  M.  Bau- 
vais,  a  respectable  and  comparatively  wealthy  inhabitant  of 
the  village,  and  then  took  his  departure  the  same  evening. 
Not  a  soul  in  the  village,  except  the  curate,  understood  a 
word  of  English,  and  I  was  possessed  of  but  two  French 
words,  oui  and  non.  I  sallied  into  the  street,  or  rather 
highway,  for  the  houses  were  far  apart,  a  large  space  being 
occupied  for  yards  and  gardens  by  each.  I  soon  found  a 
crowd  of  boys  at  play;  curiosity  drew  them  around  me, 
and  many  questions  were  asked  by  them,  which  I  answered 
alternately,  with  the  aid  of  the  before  mentioned  monosylla 
bles,  "Where  have  you  come  from?"  "  Yes."  "What  is 
your  name?  "  "No."  To  the  honour  of  their  parents  who 
had  taught  them  true  politeness  —  instead  of  turning  me 
into  ridicule,  as  soon  as  they  discovered  I  was  a  strange 
boy,  they  vied  with  each  other  in  showing  me  kindness. 

M.  Bauvais  was  a  tall,  dry,  old  French  Canadian,  dressed 
in  the  costume  of  the  place :  that  is,  with  a  blue  cotton  hand 
kerchief  on  his  head,  one  corner  thereof  descending  behind 
and  partly  covering  the  eel-skin  which  bound  his  hair ;  a  check 
shirt;  coarse  linen  pantaloons  on  his  hips;  and  the  Indian 
sandal  or  moccasin,  the  only  covering  to  the  feet  worn  here 
by  both  sexes.  He  was  a  man  of  a  grave  and  serious  aspect, 
entirely  unlike  the  gay  Frenchmen  we  are  accustomed  to 
see;  and  this  seriousness  was  not  a  little  heightened  by  the 
fixed  rigidity  of  the  maxillary  muscles,  occasioned  by  having 


HENRY    M.    BRACKENRIDGE.  81 

his  pipe  continually  in  his  mouth,  except  while  in  bed,  or  at 
mass,  or  during  meals.  Let  it  not  be  supposed  I  mean  to 
speak  disrespectfully,  or  with  levity,  of  a  most  estimable 
man;  my  object  in  describing  him  is  to  give  an  idea  of  many 
other  fathers  of  families  of  the  village.  Madame  Bauvais 
was  a  large  fat  lady,  with  an  open  cheerful  countenance,  and 
an  expression  of  kindness  and  affection  to  her  numerous  off 
spring,  and  to  all  others  excepting  her  coloured  domestics, 
toward  whom  she  was  rigid  and  severe.  She  was,  notwith 
standing,  a  most  pious  and  excellent  woman,  and,  as  a  French 
wife  ought  to  be,  completely  mistress  of  the  family.  Her 
eldest  daughter  was  an  interesting  young  woman;  two 
others  were  nearly  grown,  and  all  were  handsome.  I  will 
trespass  a  little  on  the  patience  of  the  reader,  to  give  some 
account  of  the  place  where  I  was  domiciled;  that  is,  of  the 
house  in  which  I  lived,  and  of  the  village  in  which  it  was 
situated. 

The  house  of  M.  Bauvais  was  a  long,  low  building,  with  a 
porch  or  shed  in  front,  and  another  in  the  rear;  the  chimney 
occupied  the  centre,  dividing  the  house  in  two  parts,  with 
each  a  fire-place.  One  of  these  served  for  dining-room, 
parlor  and  principal  bed-chamber;  the  other  was  the 
kitchen;  and  each  had  a  small  room  taken  off  at  the  end 
for  private  chambers  or  cabinets.  There  was  no  loft  or 
garret,  a  pair  of  stairs  being  a  rare  thing  in  the  village. 
The  furniture,  excepting  the  beds  and  the  looking-glass, 
was  of  the  most  common  kind,  consisting  of  an  armoire,  a 
rough  table  or  two,  and  some  coarse  chairs.  The  yard  was 
enclosed  with  cedar  pickets,  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter, 
and  six  feet  high,  placed  upright,  sharpened  on  the  top,  in 
the  manner  of  a  stockade  fort. 

In  front,  the  yard  was  narrow,  but  in  the  rear  quite 
spacious,  and  containing  the  barn  and  stables,  the  negro 
quarters,  and  all  the  necessary  offices  of  a  farm  yard. 
Beyond  this,  there  was  a  spacious  garden  enclosed  with 
pickets,  in  the  same  manner  with  the  yard.  It  was,  indeed, 
a  garden  —  in  which  the  greatest  variety,  and  the  finest 
vegetables  were  cultivated,  intermingled  with  flowers  and 
shrubs;  on  one  side  of  it  there  was  a  small  orchard  con 
taining  a  variety  of  the  choicest  fruits.  The  substantial 
and  permanent  character  of  these  inclosures  is  in  singular 
contrast  with  the  slight  and  temporary  fences  and  palings  of 

6 


82        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

the  Americans.  The  house  was  a  ponderous  wooden  frame, 
which,  instead  of  being  weather  boarded,  was  filled  in  with 
clay,  and  then  whitewashed.  As  to  the  living,  the  table 
was  provided  in  a  very  different  manner  from  that  of  the 
generality  of  Americans.  With  the  poorest  French  peas 
ant,  cookery  is  an  art  well  understood.  They  make  great 
use  of  vegetables,  and  prepared  in  a  manner  to  be  wholesome 
and  palatable.  Instead  of  roast  and  fried,  they  have  soups 
and  fricassees,  and  gumbos  (a  dish  supposed  to  be  derived 
from  the  Africans),  and  a  variety  of  other  dishes.  Tea 
was  not  used  at  meals,  and  coffee  for  breakfast  was  the 
privilege  of  M.  Bauvais  only. 

From  the  description  of  this  house,  some  idea  may  be 
formed  of  the  rest  of  the  village.  The  pursuits  of  the  in 
habitants  were  chiefly  agricultural,  although  all  were  more 
or  less  engaged  in  traffic  for  peltries  with  the  Indians,  or 
in  working  the  lead  mines  in  the  interior.  But  few  of 
them  were  mechanics,  and  there  were  but  two  or  three 
small  shops,  which  retailed  a  few  groceries.  Poultry  and  lead 
constituted  almost  the  only  circulating  medium.  All  politics, 
or  discussions  of  the  affairs  of  government,  were  entirely 
unknown:  the  commandant  took  care  of  all  that  sort  of 
thing.  But  instead  of  them,  the  processions  and  ceremo 
nies  of  the  church,  and  the  public  balls,  furnished  ample 
matter  for  occupation  and  amusement.  Their  agriculture 
was  carried  on  in  a  field  of  several  thousand  acres,  in  the 
fertile  river  bottom  of  the  Mississippi,  inclosed  at  the  com 
mon  expense,  and  divided  into  lots,  separated  by  some 
natural  or  permanent  boundary.  Horses  or  cattle,  depas 
tured,  were  tethered  with  long  ropes,  or  the  grass  was  cut 
and  carried  to  them  in  their  stalls.  It  was  a  pleasing 
sight,  to  mark  the  rural  population  going  and  returning 
morning  and  evening,  to  and  fro  from  the  field,  with  their 
working  cattle,  carts,  old-fashioned  wheel  ploughs,  and 
other  implements  of  husbandry.  Whatever  they  may  have 
gained  in  some  respects,  I  question  very  much  whether  the 
change  of  government  has  contributed  to  increase  their 
happiness.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  there  was  a  vil 
lage  of  Kickapoo  Indians,  who  lived  on  the  most  friendly 
terms  with  the  white  people.  The  boys  often  intermingled 
with  those  of  the  white  village,  and  practised  shooting 
with  the  bow  and  arrow;  an  accomplishment  which  I 


HENRY    M.    BRACKENRIDGE.  83 

acquired  with  the  rest,  together  with  a  little  smattering 
of  the  Indian  language,  which  I  forgot  on  leaving  the  place. 
Such  were  the  place  and  the  kind  of  people,  where,  and 
among  whom,  I  was  about  to  pass  some  of  the  most  im 
portant  years  of  my  life,  and  which  would  naturally  ex 
tend  a  lasting  Influence  over  me. 


HENRY  ROWE  SCHOOLCRAFT. 

For  the  preservation  of  a  large  and  valuable 
amount  of  information  as  to  the  geology,  geog 
raphy,  Indian  occupants  and  general  history  of 
several  sections  of  the  Louisiana  Territory,  we 
are  indebted  to  the  keen  judgment  and  the  in 
defatigable  researches  of  Henry  Rowe  School- 
craft. 

Henry  Rowe  Schoolcraft  descended  from  the 
Calcrafts  (so  the  name  was  written  originally), 
an  English  family  that  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  the  17th  Century.  He  was  born  in 
Albany  County,  New  York,  March  28th,  1793. 
He  received  a  good  education,  his  inclinations 
being  principally  for  poetry,  mineralogy  and 
languages.  In  1817,  he  published  a  book  on 
"  Vitreology  "  ;  in  1818,  he  made  a  mineralogi- 
cal  survey  of  the  lead  mines  of  Missouri,  and 
the  following  year  he  published  an  account  of 
his  labors.  In  1820,  he  published  a  full  account 
of  his  trip  to  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri 
rivers  under  the  title  of,  «*  Scenes  and  Adven 
tures  in  the  Semi-Alpine  Region  of  the  Ozark 
Mountains  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  which 
were  first  traversed  by  De  Soto,  in  1541  ".  His 
"Narrative  Journal  of  Travels  from  Detroit  to 
the  Source  of  the  Mississippi  River  ",  published 
in  1821,  is  a  record  of  his  trip  with  General 
(84) 


HENRY    ROWE    SCHOOLCRAFT.  85 

Lewis  Cass  in  his  survey  of  the  copper  mines 
and  regions,  and  exploration  of  the  Upper  Mis 
sissippi  river. 

In  1821,  he  examined  the  Wabash  and  Illinois 
rivers  and  reported  his  observations  in  "  Travels 
in  the  Central  Portions  of  the  Mississippi  Val 
ley".  The  following  year  he  was  appointed 
agent  for  Indian  Affairs  on  the  Northwestern 
frontiers,  and  removed  his  residence  to  Michili- 
mackinack  where  he  resided  until  1841.  During 
this  period  of  his  life,  he  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  Indian  history,  languages  and 
customs. 

In  1827  he  published  a  poem,  "The  Rise  of 
the  West;  or,  A  Prospect  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  ".  From  1828  to  1832,  he  served  in  the 
Territorial  Legislature  of  Michigan.  The  former 
year  he  organized  and  had  incorporated  the 
Michigan  Historical  Society,  and  in  the  latter 
year  he  founded  the  Algic  Society  of  Detroit. 
"  Indian  Melodies  "  was  issued  in  1830.  His 
"Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  Itasca  Lake, 
the  Actual  Source  of  the  Mississippi  River", 
published  in  1834,  is  the  record  of  a  second  ex 
ploring  tour  to  the  Upper  Mississippi  under  the 
auspices  of  the  national  government.  In  this 
work  he  announces  the  discovery  of  the  rise  of 
the  £reat  Father  of  Waters  in  Lake  Itasca. 

O 

"Algic  Researches"  (1839)  is  a  collection  of 
Indian  tales  of  legends  in  which  he  proves  that 
the  Indians  had  an  unwritten  literature,  poetic 
and  humorous,  and  possessing  some  ability. 


86         LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

In  1841,  Mr.  Schoolcraft  removed  to  New 
York.  In  1845,  he  published  "  Notes  on  the 
Iroquois  ",  the  result  of  a  commission  from  the 
New  York  legislature  to  take  a  census  of  the  Six 
Nations.  In  1845,  he  published  a  work  on  the 
characteristics  of  the  red  race  of  America,  under 
the  title  of  "  Oneota  ",  which  he  revised  in  1848 
under  the  title  of  "  The  Indian  in  his  Wigwam  ". 
"Personal  Memoirs  of  a  Eesidence  of  Thirty 
Years  with  the  Indian  Tribes  on  the  American 
Fontiers"  (from  1812  to  1842)  appeared  in 
1851.  This  is  a  delightful  diary  of  frontier  and 
early  Western  experiences,  observations,  cus 
toms,  manners,  characters,  etc.,  etc.,  and  con 
tains  much  of  historical  interest  as  a  picture  of 
border  and  pioneer  times.  His  next  work — in 
five  quarto  volumes  —  was  prepared  at  the  in 
stance  of  the  national  government;  its  title  is, 
"Ethnological  Researches  respecting  the  Red 
Man  of  America.  Information  respecting  the 
History,  Condition  and  Prospects  of  the  Indian 
Tribes  of  the  United  States  ".  A  sixth  volume 
was  added  to  the  work  in  1857. 

Since  several  years,  Mr.  Schoolcraft  had  suf 
fered  from  a  rheumatic  affection  which  had  par 
alyzed  his  hands  and  rendered  him  incapable  of 
work  except  by  dictation.  During  this  period 
of  his  life,  the  services  of  his  wife  were  inval 
uable  to  him. 

Other  works  of  his  not  heretofore  mentioned, 
are:  "  Transallegania  ",  a  mock  heroic  poem  on 
mineralogy  (1819)  ;  "  Remarks  on  Native  Silver 


HENRY    ROWE    SCHOOLCRAFT.  87 

from  Michigan"  (1825);  "*Alhalla,  a  Tale  of 
the  Creek  War,  and  some  Miscellaneous  Poems  ", 
a  collection  of  his  poems  (1843),  —  Mr.  School- 
craft  was  not  happy  as  a  poet; — "  Historical 
Considerations  on  the  Siege  and  Defense  of  Fort 
Stanwix  in  1777";  a  life  of  General  Lewis 
Cass;  "Notices  of  Antique  Earthen  Vessels 
from  Florida"  (1847);  "The  Bronze  Man", 
and  a  number  of  other  books  and  pamphlets  too 
numerous  to  mention  here.  He  died  at  Wash 
ington,  December  10th,  1864. 


HOBBOMOK. 

Neo  created  this  continent  for  the  use  of  the  redmen, 
There  was  not  room  enough  for  the  nations  without  it.  He 
pushed  it  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  with  a  strong  arm, 
and  this  is  the  reason  why  some  of  the  mountains  reach  so 
high  toward  the  clouds  as  the  Andes  and  the  Appalaches. 
Sea-shells  and  fish  can  still  be  seen  on  the  rocks  on  some  of 
the  highest  peaks  of  these  mountains.  But  the  redmen 
were  very  much  troubled  in  these  early  periods  by  evil 
spirits,  giants,  and  weendigoes  or  cannibals.  Every  high 
cliff,  mountain  and  deep  valley  had  its  manetoes,  who  were 
jealous  of  men  and  often  led  them  astray  in  bogs,  or  over 
turned  their  canoes  and  drowned  them  in  the  water;  they 
also  gave  us  bad  dreams  at  night,  which  surely  betoken  mis 
fortune.  Night  and  day  we  were  beset  by  these  evil  spirits; 
and  our  Medas  and  Jossakeeds  were  continually  kept  at 
their  arts  to  defend  us  from  these  evil  influences. 

When  the  Wabishkizzee,  or  white  men,  first  came  in  ships 
to  these  coasts,  they  were  inhabited  by  these  bad  spirits. 

Hobbomok  was  a  great  sagamore,  and  had  authority  over 
many  bands;  he  was  a  great  hunter  and  warrior,  but  he  was 
also  a  prophet,  at  whose  voice  the  people  trembled.  He 
lived  on  that  part  of  the  coast  called  Massachusetts,  and 
being  out  a-fishing  one  day  in  his  canoe,  far  from  shore,  he 
was  driven  out  to  sea  and  landed  on  an  island  called  Nan- 


00         LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

tucket.  He  was  so  pleased  with  the  island  that  he  deter 
mined  to  live  there,  and  built  a  prophet's  high  pointed 
lodge.  He  then  took  out  of  his  sraoking-pouch,  some  to 
bacco,  and  lit  his  pipe.  The  fumes  rolled  up  toward  the 
clouds,  and  this  is  the  reason  why  there  are  so  many  fogs 
and  mists  along  that  part  of  the  coast  to  this  day.  He  was 
the  first  man  that  settled  on  this  island;  others  followed  him 
soon,  and  he  became  a  very  celebrated  chief  and  prophet, 
whose  fame  extended  far  and  wide.  He  found  by  his  incan 
tations,  that  there  were  many  Monetoes  there,  so  that  he 
could  do  wonders  in  the  sight  of  the  people.  The  red 
headed  wood-pecker  and  the  turtle  were  two  of  his  chief 
messengers.  There  was  no  man  so  famous  among  all  tbe 
tribes  as  Hobbomok.  He  was  a  magician,  and  not  only 
knew  all  the  arts  of  his  people,  but  also  the  secret  arts  of  a 
Meda.  He  had  a  small,  brown  dog,  with  white  paws,  which 
he  appeared  to  be  in  communication  with.  Some  thought 
that  this  little  dog  was  a  spirit  in  disguise.  Almost  every 
thing  in  his  lodge  was  covered  with  hieroglyphics;  he  had 
a  little  kind  of  music-board,  marked  in  bright  colors  with 
these  devices,  which  he  could  both  read  over  and  sing.  He 
had  a  curious  pipbigwun,  with  small  holes  in  it  like  a  flute, 
which  he  played  when  he  sang,  for  he  was  a  naigamood,  or 
poet.  There  were  two  serpents  that  lived  in  the  back  part 
of  his  lodge,  with  whom  he  appeared  to  be  on  familiar  terms. 
These  serpents  went  away  in  the  fall,  before  the  weather 
became  cold,  and  canie  back  again  in  the  spring.  He  also  had 
a  living  rattlesnake  in  one  of  his  large  drums,  which  he  used 
on  solemn  occasions. 

Hobbomok  had  a  power  over  all  animals  and  birds  and 
other  forms  of  creation.  He  possessed  a  peculiar  way  of 
drawing  fish  to  the  shore.  Ordinarily,  he  hunted  small 
quadrupeds,  partridges  and  other  birds;  and  when  he  had  a 
mind  for  fish,  he  took  his  drum  and  lattles  and  went  down 
to  the  water  and  commenced  an  incantation.  At  this  the  fish 
came  out  of  the  deep  water,  and  became  so  enamored  with 
his  songs,  that  he  seized  them  and  pitched  them  ashore. 
Everything  that  happened  was  revealed  to  him  in  dreams. 
One  night  he  dreamed  that  angels  from  heaven  visited  him. 
They  had  beautiful  faces  and  were  clothed  in  colored  robes, 
with  long,  bright  hair.  He  had  often  seen  the  GREAT 
SPIRIT  riding  on  the  clouds,  but  he  did  not  know  how  to 
interpret  this  dream. 


HENRY    ROWE    SCHOOLCRAFT.  89 

One  day  the  people,  who  had  now  become  numerous,  saw 
a  great  wonder  on  the  sea.  Large  wings  appeared  to  drop 
down  from  the  clouds  and  tall  trees  to  be  growing  on  the 
surface  of  the  water.  Some  thought  it  was  a  giant  bird. 
It  came  rapidly  toward  the  land.  It  proved  to  be  a  nabe- 
quon,  or  ship.  When  it  came  near  the  shore,  it  sent  out  a 
tiny  little  vessel  or  canoe,  with  men  in  it,  having  the  ogima 
or  captain  of  the  nabequon  with  them.  These  strangers 
went  up  to  Hobbomok's  lodge  and  asked  him  what  they 
called  the  country.  The  prophet  said  it  was  Neo's  land; 
Neo  had  made  it  for  the  redmen;  he  had  made  it  with  many 
rivers  and  lakes  and  mountains,  plains  and  forests,  and  filled 
them  with  game  and  fish  and  birds  of  all  kinds.  '  And  what 
do  you  come  here  for?  '  said  Hobbomok,  fiercely  looking 
at  them.  f  Does  the  GREAT  SPIRIT  send  you?  ' 

1 1  come/  said  the  ship  -master,  '  on  an  adventure.  I  have 
information  for  you  and  your  people  from  the  GREAT 
SPIRIT,  I  wish  to  land  on  your  shores,  and  have  a  small 
piece  of  land  to  build  a  house  on.  I  will  teach  you  many 
things  and  make  your  people  happy.' 

At  this  moment  the  little  brown  dog  with  the  white  paws 
sat  up,  and  looked  straight  in  Hobbomok's  face,  and  said: 
'  Master,  open  your  eyes  and  behold.  This  man  is  not  what 
he  professes  to  be;  he  is  not  directly  sent  here  from  Neo; 
he  is  a  magician,  who  is  seeking  gold  and  pearls  on  these 
shores.  He  will  kill  and  destroy  all  your  animals  from  the 
forest;  he  will  take  all  the  fish  from  your  streams;  he  will 
dam  up  all  your  large  rivers,  so  as  to  prevent  the  fish  from 
coming  up  from  the  sea;  he  will  cover  your  plains  with 
grain;  he  will  build  high  pointed  houses,  where  men  will 
call  on  the  GREAT  SPIRIT  to  injure  you;  he  will  overturn 
all  your  wigwams  and  Meda  lodges.  Especially  will  he 
destroy  all  your  priests  and  prophets  and  seers.  Look  at 
his  hair,  it  is  red!  Look  at  his  eyes,  they  are  blue!  Look 
at  his  face,  it  is  white!  He  is  none  of  our  kin,  nor  are  any 
of  his  race.  I  take  the  film  from  your  eyes.  He  is  an  enemy; 
see,  he  has  a  drawn  arrow  pointed  at  your  heart.  Raise  a 
tempest  and  scout  him  from  your  coasts.'  The  dog  ceased. 

All  at  once  it  began  to  rain  and  hail,  and  a  terrible  tempest 
of  wind  arose.  In  this  tempest  the  Wabishkizzee  and  his 
ship  and  men  were  engulfed  in  the  sea,  and  their  cries  as 
they  went  down  can  still  be  heard  in  every  loud  tempest. 


ANGUS  UMPHRAVILLE. 

Twenty-five  years  ago,  every  well-equipped 
second-hand  bookshop  in  St.  Louis  (the  good 
old  time  ««  second-hand  bookshop  "  has  gone  out 
of  date  —  we  have  "  antiquarian  bookstores  ': 
now)  had  a  rickety,  three-legged  box  table 
propped  up  on  the  sidewalk,  standing  against  the 
front  of  the  store.  This  paraphernalia  of  trade 
was  classically  known  as  the  "  sheol  box" 
(only,  •'  sheol"  was  not  the  exact  designative 
word) ;  the  sheol  box  contained  the  odds  and 
ends  of  the  bookseller's  gatherings  —  volumes 
from  broken  sets,  worn-out  volumes,  school 
books  out  of  date,  old  numbers  of  magazines, 
old  pamphlets,  etc.,  etc.  Generally  a  notice 
scratched  on  an  old  piece  of  brown  or  yellow 
paper  informed  the  passer-by  that  he  could  take 
his  pick  for  "5c.";  or,  if  the  bookseller  was 
opulent,  he  scorned  such  small  transactions  and 
a  bold  and  reckless  placard,  "  25c.  the  Lot", 
appeared  in  evidence. 

Altogether  the  "  sheol  box  "  was  about  as 
uninviting  and  disreputable  looking  an  adjunct 
of  the  bookseller's  invention  as  human  brain 
could  devise,  but  every  connoisseur,  or  experi 
enced  book  buyer,  knew  that  if  a  "bargain" 
was  to  be  had  in  that  bookshop,  it  laid  right  in 
that  sheol  box. 
(90) 


ANGUS    UMPHRAVILLE.  91 

One  day  as  I  was  about  passing  by  a  bookshop, 
my  attention  was  arrested  by  the  sheol  box.  I 
stopped  and  examined  its  contents;  with  a  start 
my  eye  fell  on  the  title  page  of  a  little  book 
that  was  minus  its  cover.  The  bookseller's  eye 
was  on  me  from  behind  his  spectacles;  I  dared 
not  trust  my  voice,  so,  I  quietly  handed  him  a 
silver  quarter.  Pocketing  it,  he  said  "Take 
'em  along,  doctor  ".  But  I  did  not  "  take  'em 
along";  I  picked  up  the  little  book,  put  it  in 
my  pocket,  and  left  the  other  books  untouched. 

This  is  a  copy  of  the  title  page  of  that  book : 

"  Missourian  Lays,  an  1  Other  Western  Ditties. 
By  Angus  Umphraville,  Author  of  '  The  Siege 
of  Baltimore,  and  other  Original  Poems'.  St. 
Louis:  Printed  by  Isaac  N.  Henry  &  Co.  At 
the  Enquirer  Office.  1821."  And  that  is  the 
first  book  of  English  poetry  printed  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river  and  the  first  English  literary 
book  printed  in  the  West. 

The  poems  (if,  by  courtesy,  they  may  be 
called  "poems")  in  "Missourian  Lays"  are 
nearly  all  on  local  or  suburban  themes;  "To 
the  Mississippi  ",  "  The  Recluse  of  Florissant ", 
"  Sketches  in  Illinois  ",  "  Birth  of  Missouri;  an 
Ode  ",  and  "  The  Old  Maid  of  St.  Louis"  are 
some  of  the  titles.  In  the  "Preface",  Mr. 
Umphraville  says:  "  Do  not  look  for  the  genius 
of  a  Byron,  a  Moore,  a  Scott,  a  Campbell,  or  a 
Barlow,  in  'the  wood-notes  wild'  of  Missouri  ". 
I  have  granted  his  plea  long,  long  ago. 

The  book  contains  seventy-two  pages,  of  which 


92         LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

number  the  title-page,  the  preface,  the  dedica 
tion  and  the  table  of  contents  occupy  nine. 
The  dedication  is  to,  "  His  Excellency  William 
Clarke,  late  Governor  of  the  Territory  of 
Missouri".  As  to  Mr.  Umphraville,  I  have  not 
been  able  to  obtain  the  slightest  information. 
His  poetry  is  simply  wonderful ! 


BIRTH  OF  MISSOURI. 

In  pride  when  Missouri  arose, 
Like  the  flow'r  which  blooms  in  the  snows; 
Columbia  beheld  her  infancy's  morn, 
And  her  bright  star  the  goddess's  crown  did  adorn. 
States  beheld  the  morning  star, 
Streaming  radiance  from  afar. 
Lo!  the  sons  of  heav'n  rejoice, 
Hark!  I  hear  their  sweetest  voice, 
And  their  soft  harmonious  strain, 
Echoing  heav'ns  repeat  again; 
Hail,  sister  born!  Hail,  lov'd  Missouri ! 
Glory  gilds  thy  destiny  ! 
Matchless  grandeur  waits  on  the*. ! 
Powerful,  opulent,  and  free! 
Let  not  the  sons  of  Genius  droop, 
Bid  not  thy  soaring  minstrels  stoc  p; 
Oh!  bid  them  not  to  pine  and  die, 
Uncherish'd  in  their  poveity. 

Cherish  the  Muse!  the  Muse  inspires 
Whate'er  exists  of  patriot  fires; 
'Tis  she  who  fans  the  hero's  flame, 
And  lights  him  to  a  glorious  name ; 
She  shrouds  the  vict'ry  of  a  day 
With  Glory's  everlasting  ray, 
To  modest  worth  she  gives  its  due, 
And  ever  is  to  merit  true; 
And  when  provok'd  she  in  her  rage 
Lashes  the  vices  of  her  age. 


ANGUS    UMPHRAVILLE.  93 

Did  heroes  Greece  and  Rome  make  great? 
No,  but  from  oblivious  fate, 
Illustrious  minstrels  snatch'd  their  name, 
And  sung  them  an  eternal  fame! 
Neglect  the  Muse!  what  woes  await 
For  such  foul  crime  an  impious  state; 
There  av'rice  dwells,  there  honor  hides 
And  chasteless  meanness  sculking bides. 

Neglect  the  Muse!  Britania's  shame 
Which  dy'd  of  yore  her  brightest  fame; 
She  sees  her  folly  nor  deplore 
Her  Campbell,  Rodgers,  Scott  and  Moore. 

And  why  may  not  Missouri  claim 
Illustrious  bards  of  equal  fame? 
Why  may  she  not  with  Albion  vie, 
In  such  a  gen'rous  rivalry? 
'Twas  thus  the  paeaning  angels  sung, 
While  their  bright  harps  harmonious  rung. 


TO  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 
(An  Illinoisian  Ditty.) 

Roll,  roll  thy  turgid  tide 

To  lave  her  shores  in  pride, 
Thou  father  of  the  waters  of  the  West; 

Though  Illinois  be  wild, 

She's  Columbia's  fav'rlte  child, 
And  loveliest  are  her  daughters  and  the  best. 

Roll,  roll  thy  turgid  tide 

To  lave  her  shores  in  pride, 
For  sure  more  fertile  never  river  prest; 

And  Illinois  is  great, 

A  growing,  glorious  state, 
0!  be  her  Great  Guardian  Giver  blest. 


THE  OLD  WOMAN'S  REMONSTRANCES. 

A  Pastoral  Ditty. 
Fie  Robin!     leave  the  girl  alone, 
And  don't  be  always  fooling  so; 


94        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY, 

Consider  she  has  work  to  do 
In  time  to  goto  schooling,  O. 

I  scarce  set  down  upon  the  stool, 
A  spinning  at  ray  spinning  wheel, 

Than  Jenny  bawls  "  Come !     mother 
Do  speak  to  this  here  saucy  de'il! 

Now  Robin,  if  you  don't  leave  off, 
For  sure,  I'll  tell  her  father,  O, 

And  if  so  be  he  gets  right  mad 
He'll  give  you  a  sound  lather,  0. 

Why,  I  declare  before  I've  done, 

What  signifies  my  talking,  O? 
The  fellow's  at  the  girl  again, 

There,  after  her  he's  stalking,  O. 

O  Robin !  leave  the  girl  alone, 
You  good-for-nothing  fellow,  O, 

The  old  man's  coming,  don't  you  hear, 
He'll  make  you  loudly  bellow,  0. 


SOLOMON  FRANKLIN  SMITH. 

Sol  Smith,  otherwise  Solomon  Franklin  Smith 
(his  signature  on  **  state  occasions  "),  the  well- 
known  Western  actor,  wrote  pleasantly  and 
entertainingly  about  the  American  stage  of  any 
where  from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  a  cen 
tury  ago,  and  at  the  same  time  furnished  some 
very  useful  information  as  to  its  more  practi 
cal  and  every-day  aspect.  He  published  "The 
Theatrical  Apprenticeship  and  Anecdotical  Rec 
ollections  of  Sol  Smith,  Comedian,  Attorney- 
at-Law,  etc.",  in  1845  (Philadelphia).  In  1854, 
his  second  book  appeared  under  the  title  of, 
"The  Theatrical  Journey-Work  and  Anecdoti 
cal  Recollections  of  Sol  Smith",  etc.  His  last 
book  was,  "  Theatrical  Management  in  the  West 
and  South  for  Thirty  years ;  interspersed  with 
Anecdotical  Sketches,  Autobiographically  Given ; 
by  Sol  Smith,  Retired  Actor  ",  etc  (New  York, 

1868). 

Sol  Smith  was  born  in  Norwich,  New  York, 
April  20th,  1801.  He  had  very  little  schooling, 
and  early  in  life  became  a  clerk  in  Albany, 
New  York.  Three  years  later,  he  removed  to 

Louisville,     Kentucky,    where    he    apprenticed 

himself   to    a   printer. 
In  1820  he  abandoned  printing  and  became  a 

member  of  a  local  dramatic  company,  but  at  the 

(95) 


96        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

end  of  the  season,  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  then 
the  metropolis  of  the  West,  and  studied  law. 
The  years  1822  and  1823  must  have  been  very 
busy  ones  to  him,  as  he  published,  edited  and 
printed  The  Independent  Press,  and  at  the 
same  time,  managed  the  Globe  Theater.  To 
wards  the  end  of  1823,  he  organized  a  dramatic 
company,  of  which  he  was  the  comedian,  and 
traveled  in  the  West  and  the  South.  He  had 
found  his  true  sphere  —  he  was  eminently  suc 
cessful  in  comedy  parts;  he  "made  a  hit  "  as 
Mawworm  in  "The  Hypocrite",  Sheepface  in 
"  The  Village  Lawyer  ",  and  in  other  roles. 

Drifting  South,  he  edited  The  Mercantile  Ad 
vertiser,  of  Mobile,  Alabama,  in  1837-38.  At 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  February,  1869,  I 
heard  old  citizens  of  St.  Louis  say  that  he  was 
much  in  that  city  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
thirties.  The  encyclopaedias  state  that  he  took 
up  his  residence  in  St.  Louis  in  1852.  This 
is  incorrect.  Beginning  with  June  (5,  1842,  he 
was  manager  of  Smith  and  Ludlow's  Theater, 
St.  Louis  (vide  advertisement  in  the  People's 
Organ  of  June  7,  1842),  and  continued  in  that 
position  for  a  number  of  years.  His  card  as 
a  candidate  for  Recorder  appears  in  the  Organ 
from  March  12  to  April  9,  1845.  (He  did  not 
receive  the  nomination  of  his  party).  In  1853 
he  retired  from  the  stage  and  kept  up  a  sort 
of  desultory  law  practice  for  some  years  there 
after.  I  find  many  uncollected  articles  of  his 
in  the  New  York  Spirit  of  the  Times,  the 


SOLOMON    FRANKLIN    SMITH.  97 

St.  Louis  Daily  Reveille,  the  St.  Louis  daily 
People's  Organ,  and  other  papers  published 
in  the  forties,  fifties  and  early  sixties. 

The  excerpts  following  this  notice  are  all  taken 
from  "  The  Theatrical  Journey  Work  and  Anec- 
totical  Recollections  "  etc. 


AN  EXECUTION. 

On  Friday,  the  twenty-second  of  November,  I  witnessed  the 
execution  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson,  convicted  of  murdering 
his  wife's  sister,  a  child  about  twelve  years  of  age,  by  hang 
ing  her  on  a  hackbury  tree.  His  guilt  appeared  undoubted, 
although  the  evidence  was  circumstantial.  On  the  gallows 
he  seemed  quite  unconcerned.  He  had  evidently  made  up 
his  mind  to  die,  all  intercessions  to  the  legislature  on  his 
behalf  for  a  pardon  having  proved  unavailing.  His  wife, 
who  was  mainly  instrumental  in  proving  his  guilt,  was  on 
the  gallows  with  him,  and  seemed  anxious  that  her  hus 
band  should  forgive  her  before  he  suffered. 

The  poor  man,  whose  hands  were  fast  tied,  could  not 
embrace  his  wife,  but  allowed  her  to  embrace  him,  and 
appeared  rather  pleased  when  she  got  through  with  her 
caresses.  Mr.  Johnson  was  then  asked  if  he  had  anything 
to  say  before  he  suffered  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law? 
he  turned  and  looked  around  on  the  crowd  and  said  mildly, 
"  I  have  nothing  to  say,  except  that  I  hope  all  of  you,  my 
friends,  who  came  to  see  this  sight,  when  your  time  comes 
to  die,  may  be  as  ready  to  meet  your  God  as  I  am.  I  die 
innocent."  In  less  than  a  minute  after  these  words  were 
uttered,  his  body  was  hanging  a  lifeless  corpse,  and  the 
people  were  returning  to  their  homes,  wondering  how  any 
man  — particularly  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  —  could  be  so 
hardened  as  to  die  with  a  lie  upon  his  lips;  for  probably 
not  one  in  that  large  crowd  gave  credit  to  his  dying  words. 

Reader,  he  did  die  innocent!  Fourteen  years  afterward, 
a  negro  was  hung  in  Mississippi,  who  on  the  gallows  con 
fessed  that  he  committed  the  crime  for  which  Mr.  Johnson 
paid  the  terrible  penalty. 


98        LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


ANECDOTES  OF  ANDREW  JACKSON  ALLEN. 

Having  paid  all  his  debts  in  Albany,  he  proceeded  to 
New  York,  where  he  engaged  in  the  Park  Theatre,  and  was 
moderately  successful  in  his  slouched-hat,  broad-buckle,  and 
short  sword  characters,  until  his  creditors  —  for  he  had  a 
way  of  getting  into  debt  perfectly  surprising  to  young 
beginners —  became  somewhat  impatient  and  troublesome. 
One  in  particular  determined  to  try  the  virtue  of  a  capias  ad 
respondendam,  and  employed  a  well-known  and  afterward 
celebrated  constable,  by  the  name  of  Hays,  to  execute  the 
same  on  the  body  of  Father  Allen.  I  may  as  well  here  state 
two  things:  first,  my  hero  was  and  is,  partially  deaf; 
secondly,  he  has  a  way  of  speaking  which  conveys  the  idea 
that  he  is  always  laboring  under  the  effects  of  a  bad  cold  in 
his  head,  without  a  pocket-handkerchief  to  help  himself 
with.  The  reader  will  please  bear  these  things  in  mind. 

Young  Hays  (he  was  then  young)  found  Father  Allen  on 
the  Park  Theatre  steps.  "  Goodmorning,"  said  he,  salut 
ing  the  actor  very  civilly,  but  speaking  in  a  very  loud  voice, 
for  he  knew  the  actor's  infirmity,  and  pulling  out  a  small 
bit  of  paper,  tr  Your  name  is  Allen,  I  believe?  " 

"Yes,  Andrew  Jackson  Allen,  at  your  service,"  replied 
the  debtor,  supposing  the  officer  was  an  applicant  for  a  front 
seat  in  the  dress  circle:  "What  cad  I  do  for  you,  my 
friend?  "  continued  he,  patronizingly,  as  he  gently  tapped 
the  ashes  from  his  segar.  "  It  is  by  bedeflt,  you  see  —  Battle 
of  Lake  Erie,  Sir,  with  real  water  —  great  expedse;  fide 
play  —  '  we  huve  met  the  edeby,  add  they  are  ours,'  you 
kdow;  lots  of  doble  ships,  flags,  guds,  and  sboke:  look  at 
the  bill,  Sir." 

"  That's  just  what  I  want  you  to  do,"  replied  the  officer: 
f(  here  is  a  bill  I  want  you  to  examine,  and  here  is  a  writ 
requiring  that  I  shall  take  your  body  forthwith  before  a 
squire." 

It  was  useless  to  attempt  to  misunderstand  this  plain  ex 
planation;  for  if  he  could  not  hear  very  well,  he  could  see 
as  well  as  anybody,  and  it  was  equally  useless  to  attempt  to 
escape;  so  after  quietly  examining  the  papers,  the  benefi- 
ciaire  of  the  evening  gave  a  puff  or  two  at  his  segar,  and 


SOLOMON  FRANKLIN  SMITH.          99 

then,  with  a  nod  of  the  head,  intimated  that  he  understood 
the  whole  affair. 

"Let's  see;  yes,  sevedty-two  dollars  exactly;  cursed 
ill-datured  of  by  friedd  Thobson  to  trouble  you  with  this 
busidess:  I  idteded  to  pay  it  out  of  by  bedeflt-bodey  to- 
borrow;  but  dever  bind,  step  idto  Bister  Sibsod's  roob 
with  be,  and  I'll  hadd  you  the  aboudt." 

"  Certainly,  Sir,"  answered  Hays,  and  he  followed  the 
defendant  into  the  theatre  through  a  private- door.  I  shall 
not  attempt  to  describe  the  route  they  took,  but  it  is  said 
the  officer  was  led  up  and  down  numerous  stairways,  over 
divers  stagings,  and  through  many  dark  passages  and  under 
ground  vaults,  until  he  was  completely  bewildered.  At 
length,  in  the  midst  of  darkness,  he  was  requested  by  his 
conductor  to  'hold  on  a  minute.'  '  Here's  Bister  Sibsod's 
room,'  said  he;  "wait  here  till  I  see  if  he  is  at  leisure." 
The  officer  stopped  stock-still,  as  desired,  for  he  had  no 
idea  which  way  to  move,  and  waited  patiently  for  the  return 
of  his  prisoner,  whose  retreating  steps  told  him  that  Mr. 
Simpson's  room  was  not  so  near  to  where  he  stood  as  he 
supposed.  After  waiting  for  about  ten  minutes,  he  began 
to  call  the  name  of  his  prisoner  in  a  loud  voice.  Suddenly 
a  trapdoor  opened  immediately  above  his  head,  and  looking 
up,  he  distinctly  saw  Allen's  face,  lit  up  with  a  most  benev 
olent  smile.  "  Well,"  inquired  the  officer,  "  have  you  found 
Simpson?"  "Do,  by  friedd,  I  havd't  yet  foudd  that 
worthy  gedtlebad,  but  I  do  not  despair  of  beidg  able  to 
beet  with  Mb  sobe  tibe  this  evedidg;  be  so  good  as  to  wait 
there,  by  idterestidg  friedd,  while  I  take  a  good  look  for 
hib :  it  is  bore  thad  likely  I  shall  see  hib  sobewhere  betweed 
here  add  Philadelphia,  for  which  city  I  ab  about  ebbark- 
idg." 

"Embarking  for  Philadelphia!"  fiercely  exclaimed  the 
officer:  "  no  you  don't!  you  are  my  prisoner,  and  must  not 
move." 

"By  dear  friedd,"  replied  Allen,  who  had  not  heard  a 
word  the  officer  had  said,  but  saw  by  his  movements  that  he 
was  inclined  to  leave  the  place  where  he  had  located  him, 
"you'd  better  dot  stir  frob  that  spot  till  sobe  of  thelabp- 
lighters  arrive;  for  if  you  do,  idasbuch  as  there  are  trap 
doors  all  around  you,  you'll  fall  forty  feet  or  so,  add  that 
bight  hurt  you,  you  kbow."  The  trap-door  was  closed  with 


100     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

a  loud  noise,  and  the  next  that  was  heard  of  Father  Allen, 
he  was  getting  up  an  immense  nautical  piece,  called  '  The 
Battle  of  Lake  Champlain,' in  Philadelphia. 

I  have  never  learned  how  the  constable  got  out  of  the 
theatre,  but  I  presume  he  was  turned  out.  The  return  on 
his  writ  was,  "  Executed  by  taking  in  custody  the  defend 
ant,  who  escaped  by  misleading  me  into  the  devil's  church, 
and  leaving  me  to  get  out  the  best  way  I  could." 


REPLY  TO  THE    REV.  W.  G.    ELLIOT,  OF  ST.  LOUIS. 

(-  It  is  said  that  the  theatre  is  too  'exciting.'  "  Now,  it 
appears  to  me  that  if  the  tendency  of  stage  representations 
be  for  good,  ^they  cannot  be  '  too  exciting;'  but  if  for  evil, 
then  the  gentleman  is  right.  When  the  heart  throbs  with 
feelings  of  patriotism  and  virtuous  indignation  against 
tyranny  and  oppression;  when  the  eye  of  youth  fills  with 
tears  of  sorrow  for  suffering  virtue;  when  the  cheek  burns 
wiih  indignation  at  successful  villainy  —  all  the  effect  of  the 
poet's  language  and  the  actor's  power  —  will  it  be  said  that 
these  aroused  feelings  are  to  be  suppressed,  because  they 
are  '  exciting?  '  So  far  from  the  amusement  of  the  theatre 
being  '  too  exciting  '  for  the  young,  it  would  be  better  for 
the  moral  condition  of  the  world  if  the  excellent  sentiments 
promulgated  from  the  stage  could  be  more  universally  dis 
seminated  than  they  are.  That  the  teachings  of  the  pulpit 
have  their  uses,  is  not  denied;  but  the  practical  lessons 
acted  before  the  auditor  at  the  theatre,  from  the  very  fact 
that  they  are  more  '  exciting,'  are  more  lasting,  and  conse 
quently  more  useful.  A  play  cannot  be  '  too  exciting,'  if  the 
moral  be  good,  and  the  tendency  of  the  sentiment  ennobling 
to  human  nature.  Let  the  pulpit  therefore  confine  its  cen 
sures  and  strictures  to  immoral  stage  representations,  and 
cherish  those  which  tend  to  refine,  ameliorate,  and  improve 
society. 


CHARLES  GAYAEEfi. 

Charles  Etienne  Arthur  Gayarre  is  pre-euii- 
ncutly  the  historian  of  the  Louisiana  Territory. 
By  descent,  habitation  and  inclination,  no  one 
could  possibly  be  more  of  a  Louisianan  than 
Mr.  Gayarre  was. 

He  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  January  9, 
1805,  less  than  two  years  after  the  cession  of 
the  Territory  to  the  United  States.  He  came 
from  an  historical  family;  he  was  the  grand 
son  —  on  the  side  of  his  father  —  of  Estavan 
Gayarre  who  took  possession  of  the  colony  of 
Louisiana  for  Spain  in  1766,  and  on  his  mother's 
side,  the  grandson  of  Etieune  de  Bore,  the  first 
mayor  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans.  He  gradu 
ated  at  the  College  of  New  Orleans  in  1825,  and 
went  to  Philadelphia  to  study  law.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1829,  returned  to  New 
Orleans,  and  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  of 
Louisiana  in  1830.  He  received  the  appoint 
ment  of  Deputy  Attorney-General  of  the  state 
in  1831,  and  was  Presiding  Justice  of  the  City 
Court  of  New  Orleans  in  1832.  He  was  elected 
United  States  Senator  in  1835,  but  never  took 
his  seat,  preferring  to  go  to  Europe  for  medical 
treatment  which  the  state  of  his  health  ren 
dered  absolutely  necessary. 

Mr.  Gayarre  spent  eight  years  in  Europe 

(101) 


102      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

collecting  data  and  making  minute  researches 
and  investigations  for  material  for  a  history  of 
Louisiana  which  ne  desired  to  write. 

In  1844,  he  returned  to  New  Orleans,  and 
during  that  year  and  the  year  1846,  he  served 
in  the  State  Legislature  of  Louisiana  :  from  1846 
to  1853  he  was  Secretary  of  State.  In  1861,  he 
was  about  ready  to  depart  for  Spain  for  several 
years'  residence  to  be  devoted  to  collecting 
material  for  a  history  of  that  country,  when 
the  Civil  War  breaking  out,  he  concluded  to 
change  his  plans  and  remain  at  home  to  aid 
the  Southern  Confederacy,  in  which  he  was  a 
firm  believer.  After  the  war  he  served  several 
years  as  a  Reporter  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Louisiana. 

In  1825  he  published  his  first  work,  a  pam 
phlet  in  opposition  to  some  of  the  views  con 
tained  in  Mr.  Edward  Livingston's  criminal  code, 
which  had  been  prepared  at  the  instance  of 
the  Louisiana  State  Legislature.  Mr.  Gayarre 
particularly  opposed  the  clause  recommending 
the  abolition  of  capital  punishment.  The  pam 
phlet  had  a  large  circulation  and  created  a  great 
sensation,  particularly  as  the  author  of  it  was 
only  twenty  years  of  age.  The  code  was  never 
adopted  by  the  Legislature.  In  1830  he  pub 
lished,  "An  Historical  Essay  on  Louisiana" 
in  French — he  was  a  master  of  three  languages, 
French,  Spanish  and  English.  The  same  year 
he  wrote  the  "Address"  for  the  Legislature 
complimenting  the  French  Chambers  on  the 


CHARLES    GAYARRE.  103 

Revolution  of  1830.     This  address  was  warmly 
received  in  France. 

His  next  publication  was  in  French,  "A  His 
tory  of  Louisiana",  in  two  volumes.  A  trans 
lation  of  this  he  published  in  English  in  1847. 
"The  Romance  of  the  History  of  Louisiana" 
next  succeeded  in  1848.  In  his  next  work, 
"The  Spanish  Domination  of  Louisiana"  (1854) 
are  some  remarkable  disclosures,  made  public  for 
the  first  time,  of  Spanish  intrigues  in  the  West, 
from  1786  to  1792,  to  disrupt  the  American  Union. 
General  Wilkinson  is  accused  of  co-operating  in 
this  scheme.  In  1854  he  published  "The  School 
for  Politics",  a  dramatic  novel,  which  was  a 
humorous  satire  on  the  party  frauds  and  polit 
ical  dishonesty  of  the  day;  in  1866  appeared, 
"Philip  II.  of  Spain";  in  1872,  "  Fernando  de 
Leuios,' Truth  and  Fiction,"  and  in  1882  its 
sequel,  "  Albert  Dubayet  ".  His  last  work  was, 
"Dr.  Bluff",  a  comedy.  He  died  in  New 
Orleans,  February  11,  1895. 

Mr.  GayamTs  true  sphere  was  that  of  the  his 
torian.  He  was  thoroughly  at  home  in  all  that 
related  to  Louisiana  and  the  Louisiana  Terri 
tory.  It  is  a  pity  that  he  did  not  leave  us  only 
the  best  that  was  in  him.  As  a  dramatic  writer 
and  as  a  novelist,  he  was  not  felicitous.  His 
histories  of  the  great  Louisiana  Territory  will 
live  —  this  ground  was  peculiarly  and  emphat 
ically  his  own,  nobody  can  dispute  his  suprem 
acy  here;  his  diligent  and  careful  methods,  his 
indefatigable  researches,  the  semi-romantic  tint 


104     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

that  lies  over  his  subject,  his  enthusiastic  hand 
ling  of  his  materials,  his  almost  painful  ac 
curacy —  all  point  to  a  long  life  for  his  work, 
which,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  is  not  as  yet 
appreciated  at  its  full  value  by  either  the  critic 
or  the  average  reader. 

A  new  edition  of  his  "  History  of  Louisiana  ': 
was  issued  late  in  1903.  It  contains  the  best 
and  most  authentic  biographical  and  critical 
sketch  of  Mr.  Gayarre  as  yet  given  the  reading 
world.  It  is  from  the  accomplished  pen  of  Miss 
Grace  King.  I  regret  that  the  sketch  came  to  my 
notice  too  late  to  enable  me  to  avail  myself  of 
selections  from  its  pages. 


THE  TREE  OF    THE  DEAD. 

(From  "  The  History  of  Louisiana,") 

In  a  lot  situated  at  the  corner  of  Orleans  and  Dauphine 
streets,  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  there  is  a  tree  which 
nobody  looks  at  without  curiosity  and  without  wondering 
how  it  came  there.  For  a  long  time  it  was  the  only  one  of 
its  kind  known  in  the  state,  and  from  its  isolated  position  it 
has  always  been  cursed  with  sterility.  It  reminds  one  of 
the  warm  climes  of  Africa  or  Asia,  and  wears  the  aspect  of 
a  stranger  of  distinction  driven  from  its  native  country. 
Indeed  with  its  sharp  and  thin  foliage,  sighing  mournfully 
under  the  blast  of  one  of  our  November  northern  winds,  it 
looks  as  sorrowful  as  an  exile.  Its  enormous  trunk  is 
nothing  but  an  agglomeration  of  knots  and  bumps,  which 
each  passing  year  seems  to  have  deposited  there  as  a  mark 
of  age,  and  as  a  protection  against  the  blows  of  time  and  of 
the  world. 

Inquire  for  its  origin,  and  every  one  will  tell  you  that  it 
has  stood  there  from  time  immemorial.  A  sort  of  vague  but 


CHARLES    GAYARRE.  105 

impressive  mystery  is  attached  to  it,  and  it  is  as  supersti- 
tiously  respected  as  one  of  the  old  oaks  of  Dodona. 

Bold  would  be  the  axe  that  would  strike  the  first  blow  at 
that  foreign  patriarch;  and  if  it  were  prostrated  to  the 
ground  by  a  profane  hand,  what  native  of  the  city  would 
not  mourn  over  its  fall,  and  brand  the  act  as  an  unnatural 
and  criminal  deed?  So,  long  live  the  date-tree  of  Orleans 
street  —  that  time-honored  descendant  of  Asiatic  ancestors! 

In  the  beginning  of  1727,  a  French  vessel  of  war  landed 
at  New  Orleans  a  man  of  haughty  mien,  who  wore  the 
Turkish  dress,  and  whose  whole  attendance  was  a  single 
servant.  He  was  received  by  the  governor  with  the  highest 
distinction,  and  was  conducted  by  him  to  a  small  but  com 
fortable  house  with  a  pretty  garden,  then  existing  at  the 
corner  of  Orleans  and  Dauphine  streets,  and  which  from  the 
circumstance  of  its  being  so  distant  from  other  dwellings, 
might  have  been  called  a  rural  retreat,  although  situated  in 
the  limits  of  the  city.  There  the  stranger,  who  was  under 
stood  to  be  a  prisoner  of  state,  lived  in  the  greatest  seclu 
sion;  and  although  neither  he  nor  his  attendant  could  be 
guilty  of  indiscretion,  because  none  understood  their 
language,  and  the  Governor  Perier  severely  rebuked  the 
slightest  inquiry,  yet  it  seemed  to  be  the  settled  conviction  in 
Louisiana,  that  the  mysterious  stranger  was  a  brother  of  the 
Sultan,  or  some  great  personage  of  the  Ottoman  empire  who 
had  fled  from  the  anger  of  the  Viceregent  of  Mohammed, 
and  who  had  taken  refuge  in  France. 

The  Sultan  had  peremptorily  demanded  the  fugitive, 
and  the  French  government,  thinking  it  derogatory  to  its 
dignity  to  comply  with  that  request,  but  at  the  same  time 
not  wishing  to  expose  its  friendly  relations  with  the  Moslem 
monarch,  and  perhaps  desiring  for  political  purposes,  to 
keep  iu  hostage  the  imported  guest  it  had  in  its  hands,  had 
recourse  to  the  expedient  of  answering  that  he  had  fled  to 
Louisiana,  which  was  so  distant  a  country,  that  it  might 
suggest,  the  fugitive  might  be  suffered  to  wait  in  peace  for 
actual  death,  without  danger  or  offence  to  the  Sultan. 
Whether  this  story  be  true  or  not  is  now  a  manner  of  so 
liit'.e  consequence  that  it  would  not  repay  the  trouble  of  a 
strict  historical  investigation. 

The  year  1727  was  drawing  to  its  close,  when  on  a  dark 
stormy  night  the  howling  and  barking  of  the  numerous  dogs 


106      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

in  the  streets  of  New  Orleans  were  observed  to  be  fiercer  than 
usual,  and  some  of  that  class  of  individuals  who  pretend  to 
know  everything,  declared  that  by  the  vivid  flashes  of  the 
lightning,  they  had  seen  swiftly  and  stealthily  gliding 
toward  the  residence  of  the  unknown  a  body  of  men  who 
wore  the  scowling  appearance  of  malefactors  and  ministers 
of  blood.  There  afterwards  came  also  a  report  that  a  pirati 
cal-looking  Turkish  vessel  had  been  hovering  a  few  days 
previous  in  the  bay  of  Barataria.  Be  it  as  it  may,  on  the 
next  morning  the  house  of  the  stranger  was  deserted.  There 
were  no  traces  of  mortal  struggle  to  be  seen;  but  in  the  gar 
den  the  earth  had  been  dug,  and  there  was  the  unmistakable 
indication  of  a  recent  grave. 

Soon,  however,  all  doubts  were  removed  by  the  finding  of 
an  inscription  in  Arabic  characters,  engraved  on  a  marble 
tablet,  which  was  subsequently  sent  to  France.  It  ran  thus  : 
"The  justice  of  the  heaven  is  satisfied,  and  the  date-tree 
shall  grow  on  the  traitor's  tomb.  The  Sublime  Emperor  of 
the  faithful,  supporter  of  the  faith,  the  omnipotent  master 
and  Sultan  of  the  world,  has  redeemed  his  vow.  God  is 
great,  and  Mohammed  is  his  prophet.  Allah!  " 

Some  time  after  this  event,  a  foreign  looking  tree  was 
seen  to  peep  out  of  the  spot  where  a  corpse  must  have  been 
deposited  in  that  stormy  night,  when  the  rage  of  the  elements 
yielded  to  the  pitiless  fury  of  man,  and  it  thus  explained  in 
some  degree  this  par^of  the  inscription,  "  the  date-tree  shall 
grow  on  the  traitor's  grave." 

Who  was  he,  or  what  had  he  done,  who  had  provoked  such 
relentless  and  far-seeking  revenge?  Ask  Nemesis,  —  or  at 
that  hour  when  evil  spirits  are  allowed  to  roam  over  the 
earth  and  magical  invocations  are  made  go  and  interrogate 
the  tree  of  the  dead. 


HUGH  A.  GARLAND. 

Hugh  Garland's  **  Life  of  John  Randolph,  of 
Roanoke",  in  two  volumes  (New  York,  1850), 
has  since  its  publication  gone  through  several 
editions  and  is  still  to  be  found  on  the  catalogue 
of  an  Eastern  publishing  house.  In  the  latter 
part  of  the  forties,  and  the  early  part  of  the 
fifties,  Mr.  Garland  was  a  well-known  member 
of  the  St.  Louis  Bar,  and  his  "  John  Randolph  " 
is  one  of  the  best  —  and  probably  the  most  ac 
curate —  of  the  many  "  lives  "  of  that  great  and 
eccentric  American  statesman  ever  published. 

Hugh  A.  Garland  was  born  in  Nelson  County, 
Virginia,  in  1805.  After  his  graduation  at 
Hampden-Sidney  College,  he  became  professor 
of  Greek  in  that  learned  institution,  and  a  few 
years  later  married  a  Miss  Anna  P.  Burwell.  In 
1830,  he  attended  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Virginia,  and  in  1831  he  began 
practicing  in  Boydtown.  From  1833  to  1838  he 
represented  the  Mecklenburg  district  in  the  Vir 
ginia  State  Legislature.  He  next  was  elected 
Clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  Twenty- 
sixth  Congress.  On  the  second  day  of  Decem 
ber,  1839,  when  the  House  met  for  the  first  time, 
there  were  present  one  hundred  and  nineteen 
Democrats  and  one  hundred  and  eighteen  Whigs, 
besides  five  Whigs  from  New  Jersey  whose  seats 

(107) 


108      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

were  contested  by  their  Democratic  opponents ; 
Mr.  Garland,  although  they  had  certificates  of 
election,  did  not  call  the  names  of  the  five  in 
calling  the  roll,  insisting  that  it  was  not  his  place 
to  pass  in  judgment  upon  the  question  of  who 
had  been  elected  from  New  Jersey.  Pandemo 
nium  reigned  in  the  House  until  John  Quincy 
Adams  was  elected  chairman  pro  tempore  on 
December  5. 

In  1840,  he  retired  to  the  country,  in  his 
native  state,  and  devoted  much  of  his  time  to 
literary  studies.  In  1845  —  having  lost  his  prop 
erty  through  unwise  speculations  —  he  emigrated 
to  St.  Louis,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  the 
law. 

Besides  his  life  of  John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke, 
Mr.  Garland  is  the  author  of  two  other  works  of 
which  the  authoritative  encyclopedists  are  totally 
ignorant.  "  Opochancanough.  The  Massacre 
of  Jamestown,  Virginia,  1622.  A  Tragedy  in 
Five  Acts.  By  Hugh  A.  Garland,  Esq.,  St. 
Louis.  1853,"  and  a  "  Life  of  Thomas  Jeffer 
son  "  (New  York)  which  was  in  the  press  at  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1854. 

His  "  Life  "  of  Jefferson  is  inferior  to  his 
other  biography ;  one  reason  for  this  is  that  he 
did  not  have  the  use  and  advantage  of  private 
documents  and  letters  as  was  the  case  in  his 
*«  John  Randolph  ".  Mr.  Garland  was  a  scholar, 
but  he  was  not  a  poet.  His  ' '  Opochancanough  ' ; 
is  a  failure.  The  Indian  is  poor  material  for  the 
tragic.  Cooper  has  made  him  heroic  in  fiction, 


HUGH    A.    GARLAND.  109 

but  every  writer  who  has  made  him  pace  the 
stage  in  tragedy  has  scored  a  failure.  Besides, 
Mr.  Garland's  lines  are  harsh  and  stilted ;  they 
jar  on  the  ear,  —  he  is  reckless  of  his  metre. 
Such  lines  as  the  following  are  of  frequent 
occurrence  : 

*'  Will  grace  each  town  in  Powhattan's  great  empire, 
The  expedition  that  your  wisdom  has  planned,"  etc. 

Mr.  Garland's  reputation  must  rest  on  his 
"Life  of  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke".  The 
encyclopaedists  killed  him  off  in  1850;  neverthe 
less,  he  managed  to  live  until  October  14,  1854. 


JEFFERSON'S  INFLUENCE  ON  RANDOLPH. 

(From  "  The  Life  of  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke".) 

Jefferson  conceived  a  theory  of  government  that  embodied 
the  growing  sentiments  of  the  people,  and  fulfilled  their  idea 
of  what  a  free  Republic  should  be.  He  stands  in  relation  to 
the  Constitution  as  Aristotle  to  the  Iliad;  Homer  wrote  the 
poem,  the  philosopher  deduced  thence  the  rules  of  poetry. 
Ma^on  and  other  sages  made  the  Constitution,  the  states 
man  abstracted  from  it  the  doctrines  of  federative,  repre 
sentative,  republican  government;  and  demonstrated  that 
they  alone  are  adapted  to  a  widespread  and  diversified 
country,  and  suited  to  the  genius  of  a  free  and  enlightened 
people.  Were  the  question  asked,  What  has  America  done 
for  the  amelioration  of  mankind?  The  answer  would  not 
be  found  in  her  discoveries  in  science  or  improvements  in 
art,  but  in  her  political  philosophy,  as  conceived  by  Jeffer 
son,  and  developed  by  his  disciples.  Though  he  was  the 
acknowledged  leader  of  what  may  be  called  the  great 
American  movement,  he  never  spoke  in  public,  and  never 
wrote  an  essay  for  the  newspapers.  His  great  skill  lay  in 
infusing  his  sentiments  into  the  minds  of  others  by  conver- 


110     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

sation,  or  correspondence,  and  making  them  the  instruments 
of  their  propagation.  Gathering  about  him  the  influential 
men  of  the  new  party,  he  imparted  to  them  more  compre 
hensive  views  of  their  own  doctrines,  and  made  them  the 
enthusiastic  defenders  of  those  principles,  the  importance 
of  which  they  had  but  dimly  perceived.  Over  no  one  did 
he  exert  a  greater  influence  than  the  young  and  ardent  sub 
ject  of  this  memoir.  His  connection  with  the  family  of 
Edmund  Randolph,  and  his  near  relationship  to  Mr.  Jeffer 
son  himself,  brought  him  frequently  within  the  sphere  of 
that  fascinating  conversation  which  was  never  spared  in  the 
propagation  of  his  opinions.  But  John  Randolph,  although 
a  youth,  was  not  the  character  to  yield  a  blind  allegiance  to 
any  leader.  The  disciple  differed  widely  in  many  doctrines 
from  the  master.  The  grounds  of  that  difference  may  be 
found  in  the  writings  of  another  great  statesman  that  begun 
about  that  time  to  take  hold  of  his  mind,  and  deeply  impress 
his  character.  So  great  was  their  influence  in  after  life, 
that  the  writings  of  Edmund  Burke  became  the  key  to  the 
political  opinions  of  John  Randolph.  With  him  Edmund 
Burke  was  the  great  master  of  political  philosophy. 


RANDOLPH  AT  ROANOKE. 
(From  "  The  Life  of  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke".} 

In  1810  he  removed  to  Roanoke,  his  estate  in  Chatlotte 
county,  on  the  Roanoke  river,  some  thirty-five  or  forty  miles 
south  of  Bizarre;  " a  savage  solitude,"  says  he,  "  into  which 
I  have  been  driven  to  seek  shelter."  Shortly  before  the  recent 
election,  on  Sunday,  March  21,  1813,  the  house  at  Bizarre 
took  fire  —  the  family  were  at  church,  and  very  little  saved. 
"  I  lost,"  says  he,  "  a  valuable  collection  of  books.  In  it 
was  a  whole  body  of  infidelity,  the  Encyclopedia  of  Diderot 
and  D'Alembert,  Voltaire's  works,  seventy  volumes,  Rous 
seau,  thirteen  quartos,  Hume,  &c.,  &c." 

By  this  calamity,  if  calamity  it  ;may  be  called  (some  of 
his  friends  congratulated  him  on  the  event),  he  was  de 
prived  of  the  chief  source  of  pleasure  and  amusement  in 
this  comfortless  home.  The  only  companion  of  his  solitude 


HUGH    A.    GARLAND.  Ill 

was  Theodore  Bland  Dudley,  a  young  relation  he  had  taken 
to  live  with  him  in  1800.  He  educated  this  young  man  with 
much  care  and  at  great  expense.  He  manifested  towards 
him  the  solicitude  and  affection  of  a  fond  father  —  his  letters 
are  models  of  parental  instruction.  Dudley  had  recently 
graduated  in  medicine  at  Philadelphia,  and  returned  to  con 
sole  the  solitary  hours  of  his  best  and  most  constant 
friend  *  *  *  (To  Dr.  Brockenbrough,  the  President  of 
the  Bank  of  Virginia,  he  writes  as  follows) :  "  It  is  indeed 
a  life  of  seclusion  that  I  live  here,  unchequered  by  a  single 
ray  of  enjoyment.  I  try  to  forget  myself  in  books;  but  that 
1  pliabilty  of  man's  spirit '  which  yields  him  up  to  the 
illusions  of  the  ideal  world,  is  gone  from  me  for  ever.  The 
mind  stiffened  by  age  and  habit  refuses  to  change  its  career. 
It  spurns  the  speculative  notions  which  hard  experience  has 
exploded;  it  looks  with  contempt  or  pity,  in  sorrow  or  in 
anger,  upon  the  visionary  plans  of  the  youthful  and  san 
guine.  My  dear  sir,  '  there  is  another  and  a  better  world,' 
and  to  it  alone  can  we  look  without  a  certainty  of  disap 
pointment,  for  consolation,  for  mercy,  for  justice."  On 
another  occasion  he  says:  "I  passed  but  an  indifferent 
night,  occasioned,  in  a  great  measure,  by  the  regret  I  feel 
at  leaving  such  friends  as  yourself  and  Mrs.  Brockenbrough, 
and  at  the  prospect  of  passing  my  time  in  that  utter 
solitude  of  my  comfortless  habitation,  where  I  have  pre 
pared  for  myself,  by  my  own  folly,  many  causes  of  uneasi 
ness.  If  I  had  followed  old  Polouius's  advice,  and  been 
'  to  mine  own  self  true,'  I  might  have  escaped  the  lot  which 
seems  to  be  in  reserve  for  me." 

To  another  friend,  Francis  S.  Key,  of  Washington  City, 
he  writes  more  cheerfully.  His  letters  to  that  gentleman 
about  this  time  were  very  frequent  and  copious;  they  show 
more  fully  the  workings  of  his  mind. 

In  one  of  his  letters  he  gives  a  description  of  his  habita 
tion,  the  log  cabins  and  the  boundless  primeval  forest  by 
which  they  were  surrounded.  In  reply,  Key  says,  "  I  could 
not  help  smiling  at  the  painting  you  have  given  me  of 
Roanoke  —  laudat  divtrsa  sequentes.  To  me  it  seems  just 
such  a  shelter  as  I  should  wish  to  creep  under, 

'A  boundless  contiguity  of  shade, 
Where  rumor  of  oppression  and  deceit 
Might  never  reach  me  more  ' ." 


ANNA  PEYRE  DINNIES. 

Anna  Peyre  Shackleford  was  born  in  Charles 
ton,  South  Carolina,  in  1807,  according  to  her 
adopted  daughter,  now  Mrs.  Louis  Grime wald, 
of  New  Orleans,  and  not  in  1811,  as  appears  in 
all  the  printed  sketches  and  accounts  of  Mi's. 
Diunies.  She  was  one  of  the  several  daughters 
of  Mr.  Justice  Shackleford  and  was  educated  in 
Charleston,  in  a  seminary  kept  by  the  daughters 
of  Dr.  David  Ramsay,  the  author  of  the  still 
well-considered  "Life"  of  Washington  and  a 
history  of  the  American  Revolution. 

In  1830,  Miss  Shackleford  became  the  wife  of 
John  C.  Dinuies,  a  popular  bookseller  of  St. 
Louis,  and  removed  with  him  to  that  city. 
According  to  Mrs.  Sara  Joseph  a  Hale  (who  had 
the  misfortune  to  perpetrate  "  Mary  Had  a 
Little  Lamb !"),  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Dhmies 
and  Miss  Shackleford  was  brought  about  by  a 
correspondence  of  some  four  years,  and  they 
never  met  until  a  very  short  time  before  their 
marriage  (vide  "The  Ladies'  Wreath").  In 
the  Daily  People's  Organ,  of  St.  Louis  (May 
14,  1843),  I  find  that  Dinnies  and  Radford  were 
the  publishers  of  TJte  /St.  Louis  Medical  and 
Surgical  Journal,  a  monthly  which  is  still  in 
existence. 

In  1847,  Mrs.  Dinnies  published,  "  The  Floral 
(112) 


ANNA    PEYRE    DINNIES.  113 

Year  ",  a  volume  of  poems.  Of  this  book,  Gris- 
wold  ("  Poets  and  Poetry  of  America  ",  Phila 
delphia,  1848),  says,  "  Her  pieces  illustrative  of 
the  domestic  affections  are  marked  by  unusual 
grace  and  tenderness."  This  book  is  now  ex 
tremely  rare.  Mrs.  Grime wald  permitted  me, 
last  December,  to  examine  a  copy  of  it  which 
was  given  to  her  by  Mrs.  Dinnies.  The  follow 
ing  is  its  correct  title:  "The  Floral  Year, 
Embellished  with  Bouquets  of  Flowers,  Drawn 
and  Colored  from  Nature.  Each  Flower  illus 
trated  with  a  Poem.  By  Mrs.  Anna  Peyre  Din 
nies.  Boston:  Benjamin  B.  Mussy,  Publisher, 
1847."  The  book  contains  two  hundred  and 
fifty-six  pages,  illustrated  by  thirteen  full-page 
colored  plates.  It  was  what  was  called  in  its  day 
a  "  gift  book". 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dinnies  (I  find  in  the  St.  Louis 
Daily  Herald)  left  St.  Louis  for  New  Orleans 
in  1849.  There,  in  1853,  Mrs.  Dinnies  lost  her 
only  child,  a  daughter,  and  a  few  years  later  on, 
adopted  a  little  girl,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Louis 
Gruuewald  of  New  Orleans.  In  December,  1903, 
I  obtained  the  following  information  from  this 
lady:  In  New  Orleans,  John  Clifford  Dinnies 
engaged  in  journalism :  he  wrote  special  articles 
for  some  of  the  daily  newspapers,  and  for  sev 
eral  years  edited  The  Price  Current.  On  account 
of  an  editorial,  General  Benjamin  F.  Butler 
suspended  The  Price  Current  during  the  Civil 
War  and  had  Mr.  Dinnies  imprisoned.  Mr. 
Dinnies  died  in  1882.  *  *  *  Mrs.  Dinnies 


114      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

had  light  grey  eyes  and  light  brown  hair ;  she  was 
about  five  feet  and  two  or  three  inches  in  height, 
and  was  rather  slimly  built  until  late  in  life.  She 
had  a  distinguished  appearance.  She  died  August 
4,  1886. 

As  to  the  controversy  over  the  authorship  of 
' '  The  Conquered  Banner  ' ' ,  the  popular  Southern 
hymn,  after  diligent  investigation,  I  find  the 
following  facts:  Mrs.  Dinnies,  in  the  thirties, 
adopted  the  nom-de-plume  of  ' '  Moina  ' '  ( see 
The  Illinois  Monthly  Magazine,  Vandalia  and 
Bloomington,  Illinois) ;  this  name  she  used  ever 
afterwards.  In  the  sixties,  Father  Abrani  J. 
Eyan  also  used  the  pseudonym,  not  aware  (I  am 
perfectly  satisfied)  of  Mrs.  Dinnies'  prior  claim 
to  it.  "  The  Conquered  Banner  "  was  published 
under  the  signature,  "Moina".  The  corre 
spondence  that  took  place  between  Mrs.  Dinnies 
and  Father  Ryan  was  as  to  the  use  of  the  name 
"Moina"  -not  as  to  the  authorship  of  "The 
Conquered  Banner".  I  can  find  no  evidence 
that  Mrs.  Dinnies  ever  claimed  the  poem.  Father 
Ryan  graciously  apologized  and  never  after  used 
the  signature,  "Moina".  The  correspondence 
is  in  the  possession  of  a  lady  who  resides  in 
Milwaukee. 

William  D .  Gallagher,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Western  literature,  in  1839,  wrote  of  two  of  Mrs. 
Dinnies'  poems,  "The  Wife"  and  "Wedded 
Love  "  :  "  They  gush  warm  and  glowing  from 
the  human  heart  —  a  deep  which  calleth  unto 
the  deep  of  another  century  as  well  as  to  that  of 


ANNA    PEYRE    DINNIES.  115 

its  own  day  —  and  they  are  as  green  and  beau 
tiful  and  touching  now,  as  when  they  first 
sparkled  in  the  light  — nay,  more  so,  for  that 
which  cometh  of  the  True  reveals  itself  fully 
only  in  the  lapse  of  time."  Both  these  poems 
are  given  below. 


THE  WIFE. 

I  could  have  stemm'd  misfortune's  tide, 

And  borne  the  rich  one's  sneer, 
Have  braved  the  haughty  glance  of  pride, 

Nor  shed  a  single  tear. 
I  could  have  smiled  on  every  blow 

From  life's  full  quiver  thrown, 
While  I  might  gaze  on  thee  and  know 

I  should  not  be  "  alone." 

I  could  —  I  think  I  could  have  brook'd, 

E'en  for  a  time,  that  thou 
Upon  my  fading  face  hadst  look'd 

With  less  of  love  than  now; 
For  then  I  should  at  least  have  felt 

The  sweet  hope  still  my  own 
To  win  thee  back,  and,  whilst  I  dwelt 

On  earth,  not  been  "  alone." 

But  thus  to  see,  from  day  to  day, 

Thy  brightening  eye  and  cheek, 
And  watch  thy  life-sands  waste  away, 

Unnumber'd  slowly,  meek; 
To  meet  thy  smiles  of  tenderness, 

And  catch  the  feeble  tone 
Of  kindness,  ever  breathed  to  bless, 

And  feel,  I'll  be  "  alone." 

To  mark  thy  strength  each  hour  decay, 
And  yet  thy  hopes  grow  stronger, 

As,  filled  with  heavenward  trust,  they  say 
"  Earth  may  not  claim  thee  longer;  " 


116      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Nay ;  dearest,  'tis  too  much  —  this  heart 
Must  break  when  thou  art  gone; 

It  must  not  be ;  we  may  not  part : 
I  could  not  live  "  alone." 


WEDDED  LOVE. 

Come,  rouse  thee,  dearest!  — 'tis  not  well 

To  let  the  spirit  brood 
Thus  darkly  o'er  the  cares  that  swell 

Life's  current  to  a  flood. 
As  brooks  and  torrents,  rivers,  all 
Increase  the  gulf  in  which  they  fall, 
Such  thoughts,  by  gathering  up  the  rills 
Of  lesser  griefs,  spread  real  ills, 
And,  with  their  gloomy  shades,  conceal 
The  land-marks  Hope  would  else  reveal. 

Come,  rouse  thee,  now  —  I  know  thy  mind, 
And  would  its  strength  awaken ; 

Proud,  gifted,  noble,  ardent,  kind,  — 
Strange  thou  should  be  thus  shaken! 

But  rouse  afrosh  each  energy, 

And  be  what  Heaven  intended  thee ; 

Throw  from  thy  thoughts  this  wearying  weight, 

And  prove  thy  spirit  firmly  great : 

I  would  not  see  thee  bend  below 

The  angry  storms  of  earthly  woe. 

Full  well  I  know  the  generous  soul 

Which  warms  thee  into  life, 
Each  spring  which  can  its  powers  control, 

Familiar  to  thy  wife,  — 
For  deem'st  thou  she  had  stoop'd  to  bind 
Her  fate  unto  a  common  mind? 
The  eagle-like  ambition,  nursed 
From  childhood  in  her  heart,  had  first 
Consumed,  with  its  Promethean  flame, 
The  shrine  —  than  sunk  her  soul  to  shame. 

Then  rouse  thee,  dearest,  from  the  dream 
That  fetters  now  thy  powers: 


ANNA    PEYRE    DINNIES.  117 

Shake  off  this  gloom  —  Hope  sheds  a  beam 

To  gild  each  cloud  which  lowers; 
And  though  at  present  seems  so  far 
The  wished-for  goal  —  a  guiding  star, 
With  peaceful  ray,  would  light  thee  on, 
Until  its  utmost  bounds  be  won: 
That  quenchless  ray  thou  'It  ever  prove 
In  fond,  undying  Wedded  Love. 


SONG. 

I  could  not  hush  that  constant  theme 

Of  hope  and  revery; 
For  every  day  and  nightly  dream 
Whose  lights  across  rny  dark  brain  gleam, 

Is  fill'd  with  thee. 

I  could  not  bid  those  visions  spring 

Less  frequently; 

For  each  wild  phantom  which  they  bring, 
Moving  along  on  fancy's  wing, 

But  pictures  thee. 

I  could  not  stem  the  vital  source 

Of  thought,  or  be 

CompelPd  to  check  its  whelming  force, 
As  ever  in  its  onward  course 

It  tells  of  thee. 

I  could  not,  dearest,  thus  control 

My  destiny, 

Which  bids  each  new  sensation  roll, 
Pure  from  its  fountain  in  my  soul, 

To  life  and  thee. 


ALBERT  PIKE. 

Albert  Pike  was  born  iu  Boston,  December 
29th,  1809.  When  he  was  four  years  old, 
his  family  removed  to  Newburyport.  Here  he 
attended  the  public  schools  until  he  entered  Har 
vard  College  in  1825,  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 
Through  want  of  the  necessary  means  to  com 
plete  his  education,  he  was  forced  to  leave  Har 
vard  and  accept  a  position  in  the  Newburyport 
Academy,  of  which  institution  of  learning,  in  a 
few  years,  he  became  the  principal. 

In  the  spring  of  1831,  he  started  for  the 
West.  He  arrived  in  St.  Louis  early  in  the  sum 
mer —  having  made  most  of  the  distance  on 
foot — and  in  August,  he  there  joined  an  expe 
dition  to  Santa  Fe,  which  arrived  in  that  city  in 
November.  Here  he  secured  a  position  in  a 
store.  In  September,  1832,  he  joined  a  com 
pany  of  trappers,  visited  the  head- waters  of  the 
Red  and  the  Brazos  rivers,  and  with  four  others 
left  the  band  to  head  for  Arkansas.  They  ar 
rived  in  Fort  Smith  in  November  in  almost  des 
titute  circumstances.  He  taught  school  during 
this  winter,  but  failed  to  establish  a  permanent 
school  in  the  settlements  near  the  fort. 

On  the  invitation  of  the  proprietor  of  The 
Arkansas  Advocate  of  Little  Rock,  to  which 
paper  he  had  previously  contributed  several 
(118) 


ALBERT    PIKE.  119 

poems,  he  became  his  partner,  and  the  fol 
lowing  year  (1834)  became  the  sole  proprietor 
of  the  paper.  His  editorial  duties  leaving  him 
leisure  time  on  hand,  he  studied  law  by  himself, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1836.  The  Ad 
vocate  not  being  a  very  remunerative  property, 
he  sold  it,  and  the  same  year  began  practicing 
law. 

In  1831,  he  published  his  first  book,  "  Hymns 
to  the  Gods",  which  consisted  of  poems  he  had 
written  while  teaching  school  at  Newburyport. 
This  book,  which  contains  some  of  the  best 
poems  he  has  left  us,  I  find  republished  in  its 
entirety  in  Blackwood's  Edinburg  Magazine 
for  June,  1839  —  a  very  remarkable  compliment, 
indeed,  to  an  American  "backwoods"  poet 
from  so  critical  and  exclusive  a  magazine  as 
Blackiuood's  then  was. 

In  1834,  he  published,  at  Boston,  "  Prose 
Sketches  and  Poems  Written  in  the  Western 
Country  ' ' ,  which  contained  an  account  of  his 
wanderings  during  the  past  years,  and  descrip 
tions  of  the  scenery  he  had  passed  through. 

In  1835,  he  published  an  Indian  romance, 
"  illustrative  of  the  habits  of  the  Comanche  and 
Navajo  Indians,  and  of  Mexican  life  at  an  early 
period  of  the  incursions  of  the  Spaniards  ". 

In  1854,  appeared  "  Nugae "  which  was 
"  printed  for  private  distribution".  This  vol 
ume  is  a  republication  of  the  "  Hymns  to  the 
Gods  "  with  a  number  of  additional  poems.  As 
to  the  "  Hymns",  Professor  Wilson  ("Chris- 


120      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

topher  North")  says  (Blackwood's,  June, 
1839)  :  «  These  fine  Hymns  entitled  their  author 
to  take  his  place  in  the  highest  order  of  his 
country's  poets" . 

In  1859,  he  added  to  his  books,  "The  Stat 
utes  and  Regulations,  Institutes,  Laws,  and 
Grand  Constitutions  of  the  Ancient  and  Ac 
cepted  Scottish  Rite",  etc.,  etc. 

Other  books  by  him  are:  "  Reports  of  Cases 
Argued  and  Determined  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  of  Arkansas  in  Law  and  Equity" 
(Little  Rock,  1840-45),  in  five  volumes,  and 
"The  Arkansas  Form-Book"  (Little  Rock, 
1845). 

Albert  Pike  is  still  remembered  as  a  poet. 
His  best  known  minor  poems  —  he  wrote  only 
minor  poems  —  which  one  still  meets  with  now 
and  then  in  the  newspapers,  are  the  "  Ode  to  the 
Mocking  Bird  ",  "  The  Old  Canoe  ",  "  Spring  ", 
"  Every  Year  ",  some  of  the  "  Hymns  to  the 
Gods",  and  three  or  four  others.  From  1866 
to  1868,  he  was  the  edit  r  of  The  Daily  Appeal 
of  Memphis,  Tennessee.  He  died  in  Washing 
ton,  April  2nd,  1891. 

I  remember,  when  a  boy,  just  before  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  of  1861-65,  of 
seeing  on  the  streets  of  St.  Louis,  one  summer 
day,  a  middle-aged  man,  in  a  black  alpaca  coat 
and  white  duck  pantaloons,  with  long  hair  that 
almost  fell  on  his  shoulders  from  under  a  broad- 
brimmed  panama  hat.  People  turned  and  looked 
back  at  him  as  he  went  down  the  street,  and 


ALBERT    PIKE.  121 

said,  "  That's  Albert  Pike,  the  fine  old  Arkansaw 
gentleman !  ' 


TO  THE  MOCKING-BIRD. 

(From  "Nugce.") 

Thou  glorious  mocker  of  the  world!     I  hear 
Thy  many  voices  ringing  through  the  glooms 
Of  these  green  solitudes;  and  all  the  clear, 
Bright  joyance  of  their  song  enthralls  the  ear 
And  floods  the  heart.     Over  the  sphered  tombs 
Of  vanish'd  nations  rolls  thy  music-tide. 
No  light  from  history's  starlike  page  illumes 
The  memory  of  these  nations  —  they  have  died. 
None  care  for  them  but  thou,  and  thou  may'st  sing, 
Perhaps,  o'er  me  —  as  now  thy  song  doth  ring 
Over  their  bones  by  whom  thou  once  wast  deified. 

Glad  scorner  of  all  cities!     Thou  dost  leave 
The  world's  mad  turmoil  and  never-ceasing  din, 
Where  one  from  others  no  existence  weaves, 
Where  the  old  sighs,  the  young  turns  gray  and  grieves, 
Where  misery  gnaws  the  maiden's  heart  within: 
And  thou  dost  flee  into  the  broad,  green  woods, 
And  with  thy  soul  of  music  thou  dost  win 
Their  heart  to  harmony  —  no  jar  intrudes 
Upon  thy  sounding  melody.     O,  where, 
Amid  the  sweet  musicians  of  the  air, 
Is  one  so  dear  as  thou  to  these  old  solitudes? 

Ha!     What  a  burst  was  that!  the  JEolian  strain 
Goes  floating  through  the  tangled  passages 
Of  the  lone  woods  —  and  now  it  comes  again  — 
A  multitudinous  melody  —  like  a  rain 
Of  glassy  music  under  echoing  trees, 
Over  a  ringing  lake;  it  wraps  the  soul 
With  a  bright  harmony  of  happiness  — 
Even  as  a  gem  is  wrapt,  when  round  it  roll 
Their  waves  of  brilliant  flame  —  till  we  become, 
E'en  with  the  excess  of  our  deep  pleasure,  dumb, 
And  pant  like  some  swift  runner  clinging  to  the  goal. 


122     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

I  would,  sweet  bird,  that  I  might  live  with  thee, 
Amid  the  eloquent  grandeur  of  these  shades, 
Alone  with  nature  —  but  it  may  not  be; 
I  have  to  struggle  with  the  tumbling  sea 
Of  human  life,  until  existence  fades 
Into  death's  darkness.    Thou  wilt  sing  and  soar 
Through  the  thick  woods  and  shadow-checker'd  glades, 
While  naught  of  sorrow  casts  a  dimness  o'er 
The  brilliance  of  thy  heart  —  but  I  must  wear 
As  now,  rny  daily  garments  of  pain  and  care  — 
As  penitents  of  old  their  sackcloth  wore. 

Yet  why  complain?  —  What  though  fond  hopes  deferr'd 
Have  overshadow'd  Youth's  great  paths  with  gloom! 
Still  joy's  rich  music  is  not  all  unheard,  — 
There  is  a  voice  sweeter  than  thine,  sweet  bird, 
To  welcome  me,  within  my  humble  home;  — 
There  is  an  eye,  with  love's  devotion  bright, 
The  darkness  of  existence  to  illume ! 
Then  why  complain?  — When  death  shall  cast  his  blight 
Over  the  spirit,  then  my  bones  shall  rest 
Beneath  these  trees — and  from  thy  swelling  breast, 
O'er  them  thy  song  shall  pour  like  a  rich  flood  of  light. 


TO  DIANA. 

(From  "  Hymns  to  the 

Most  graceful  Goddess!  —whether  now  thou  art 

Hunting  the  dun  deer  in  the  silent  heart 

Of  some  old  quiet  wood,  or  on  the  side 

Of  some  high  mountain,  and,  most  eager-eyed, 

Dashing  upon  the  chase,  with  bended  bow 

An  arrow  at  the  string,  and  with  a  glow 

Of  wonderous  beauty  on  the  cheek  and  feet 

Like  thine  own  silver  moon  —  yea,  and  as  fleet 

As  her  best  beams  —  and  quiver  at  the  back 

Rattling  to  all  thy  steppings;  if  some  track 

In  distant  Thessaly  thou  followest  up, 

Brushing  the  dews  from  many  a  flower-cup 

And  quiet  leaf,  and  listening  to  the  bay 

Of  thy  good  hounds,  while  in  the  deep  woods  they, 


ALBERT    PIKE.  123 

Strong -limb'd  and  swift,  leap  on  with  eager  bounds, 
And  with  their  long,  deep  note  each  hill  resounds, 
Miking  thee  music: —  Goddess,  hear  our  cry, 
And  let  us  worship  thee,  while  far  and  high 
Goes  up  thy  Brother  —  while  his  light  is  full 
Upon" the  earth;  for,  when  the  night-winds  lull 

The  world  to  sleep,  then  to  the  lightless  sky 
Dian  must  go,  with  silver  robes  of  dew, 

And  sunward  eye. 

Perhaps  thou  liest  on  some  shady  spot 

Among  the  trees,  while  frighten'd  beasts  hear  not 

The  deep  bay  of  the  hounds;  but,  dropping  down 

Upon  green  grass,  and  leaves  all  sere  and  brown, 

Thou  pillowest  thy  delicate  head  upon 

Some  ancient  mossy  root,  were  wood-winds  run 

Wildly  about  thee,  and  thy  fair  nymphs  point 

Thy  death-wing'd  arrows,  or  thy  hair  anoint 

With  Lydian  odours,  and  thy  strong  hounds  lie 

Lazily  on  the  earth  and  watch  thine  eye, 

And  watch  thine  arrows,  whilst  thou  hast  a  dream. 

Perchance,  in  some  deep  bosom'd,  shaded  stream 

Thou  bathestnow,  where  even  thy  brother  Sun 

Cannot  look  on  thee  —  where  dark  shades  and  dun 

Fall  on  the  water,  making  it  most  cool, 

Like  winds  from  the  broad  sea,  or  like  some  pool 

In  deep  dark  cavern:  Hanging  branches  dip 

Their  locks  into  the  stream,  or  slowly  drip 

With  tear-drops  of  rich  dew:  Before  no  eyes 

But  those  of  flitting  wind-gods,  each  nymph  hies 

Into  the  deep,  cool,  running  stream,  and  there 
Thou  pillowest  thyself  upon  its  breast, 

0  Queen,  most  fair! 


FRANgOIS  DOMINIQUE  ROUQUETTE. 

Francois  Dominique  Rouquette,  the  elder 
brother  of  the  Abbe  Rouquette,  was  born  in 
New  Orleans,  January  2,  1810,  and  was  educated 
at  Orleans  College,  continuing  his  classical  stud 
ies  at  Nantes,  France.  He  returned  to  the  United 
States  in  1828  and  studied  law  at  Philadephia 
with  Counsellor  Rawle,  afterwards  well  known  at 
the  bar  through  his  book  on  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States.  Alike  his  brother,  he  soon 
abandoned  the  law  for  literature  ;  but  unlike  him, 
he  returned  to  Paris  to  live  and  adopt  a  literary 
life. 

In  Paris,  in  1839,  he  published  a  volume  of 
poetry,  "  Les  Meschacebeennes  ",  which  received 
the  encomiums  of  Victor  Hugo,  Beranger  and 
other  eminent  litterateurs.  Other  works  of  his 
are:  "  The  Arkansas  "  (Fort  Smith,  Arkansas, 
1850),  a  pamphlet,  and  "  Fleurs  d'Amerique: 
Poesies  Nouvelles "  (Nouvelle  Orleans,  1857). 
He  contributed  extensively  to  French  papers  pub 
lished  in  the  United  States — L' Abeille  de  la 
Nouvelle  Orleans,  Le  Propagateur  Catholique, 
and  others. 

When  Francois  and  Adrien  Rouquette  "  write 
about  prairies,  and  the  forests  and  the  In 
dians  *  *  *  it  seems  to  us  that  we  see  the 
beautiful  Chactas  girl  in  her  canoe,  *  *  * 
(124) 


IVERSITY  jj 

OF 


FRANCOIS    DOMINIQUE    ROUQUETTE.  125 

that  we  hear  the  cry  of  the  whippoorwill,  and 
that  we  are  permeated  with  the  perfume  of  the 
meleze,  of  the  boisfort  and  of  the  resinous  pine 
tree  "  ("  Louisiana  Studies  ",  page  52). 

Early  in  the  seventies  he  was  said  to  have  in 
MS.  a  work  on  the  Choctaws,  which  was  to  be 
published  both  in  French  and  English.  Beyond 
this  time  I  can  find  no  further  record  of  Francois 
Rouquette,  except  that  he  died  in  Paris  in  May, 
1890.  Some  of  the  French  critics  consider  him 
the  best  of  the  Franco- American  poets. 


LE   SOIR. 
(From  "  Fleurs  d'Amerique.") 

dans  les  buissons  dort  la  grive  batarde: 
La  voix  du  bucheron,  qui  dans  les  bois  s'attarde, 
A  travers  les  grands  pins  se  fait  entendre  au  loin; 
Aux  boeufs  libres  du  joug  ayant  donne  le  foin, 
Slfllant  une  chanson,  le  charretier  regagne 
Sa  cabane  ou  1'attend  une  noire  compagne, 
Et  fume  taciturne,  accroupi  sur  un  bane, 
Sa  pipe,  aux  longs  reflets  du  meleze  flambant. 
Loin  de  1'huraide  abri  des  joncs  qu'elle  abandonne, 
La  moustique  partout  et  voltige  et  bourdonne, 
Et  nocturne  taureau  cach(5  dans  le  limon, 
La  grenouille  bovine  enfle  un  rauque  poumon     * 
Un  silence  imposant  et  formidable  plane 
Sur  les  eaux,  la  fore~t  et  la  noire  savane; 
La  nuit,  comme  1'upas,  sous  une  ombre  de  mort, 
Semble  couvrir  au  loin  la  terre  qui  s'endort. 


126      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


A  MME.  ADELE  C     *     *     * 
(From  "  Fleurs  d'Amerique.") 

Dites,  avez-vous  vu,  comme  souvent  je  vois, 
Sur  les  pieux  vermoulus,  au  rebord  des  vieux  toils 
Une  plante  fletrie  et  r^duite  en  poussi^re? 
Dites,  avez-vous  vu  la  sauvage  fougere, 
Desse'che'e  aux  rayons  de  nos  soleils  d'e"te", 
Sur  un  hangard  croulant,  tombant  de  ve'tuste'?  — 
La  p'ante  qu'a  regret  quelque  pieu  tremblant  porte, 
Fane"e,  ^toil^e,  a  nos  yeux  semble  morte; 
Balanced  au  rebord  du  vieux  hangard  mouvant, 
Ce  n'est  qu'un  peu  de  poudre  abandonn^e  au  vent; 
Mais  qu'une  fraiche  onde"e  inattendue  arrive, 
Laissant  couler  sur  elle  une  gouette  d'eau  vive; 
La  plante,  b^nissant  le  torrent  bienfaiteur, 
Recouvre  sa  verdure  et  toute  sa  fraicheur; 
Ainsi,  dans  notre  coeur  qu'un  tourbillonemporte, 
Dans  nos  coeurs  oublieux,  1'amitte  semble  morte, 
Mais  le  doux  souvenir,  la  ranimant  parfois, 
Lui  donne  la  beaute,  la  fraicheur  d'autrefois. 


ADRIEN  EMMANUEL  ROUQUETTE. 

On  a  warm  clay  in  February,  1874, 1  was  stand 
ing  on  Rue  Royal,  New  Orleans,  industriously 
engaged  in  idling  away  time  and  youth,  when  I 
was  startled  by  a  voice  that  came  from  an  open 
doorway  just  behind  me.  "  C'est  1'Abbe  Rou- 
quette  —  un  vrai  saint  ! ' '  and  the  commere  crossed 
herself.  I  looked  across  the  narrow  street:  a 
man  old  in  years  but  yet  strong  and  active,  of 
about  medium  height,  a  little  stooped,  long  black 
hair  streaked  with  gray,  and  clad  in  the  simple 
black  clothes  of  a  Catholic  priest,  was  leisurely 
passing  down  the  street.  "  L'Abbe  Rouquette" — 
"  a  real  saint!"  — the  words  have  often  recurred 
to  my  memory  since  then.  A  few  years  later, 
I  was  delighted  to  learn  that  1'Abbe  Rouquette 
had  written  several  books  and  was  —  a  poet !  In 
December,  1903,  while  again  in  New  Orleans, 
I  gathered  all  the  information  I  could  possibly 
obtain  about  Father  Rouquette,  whose  large, 
solemn  eyes  and  serious  face  I  can  still  see  after 
the  lapse  of  nearly  thirty  years. 

Adrien  Emmanuel  Rouquette,  or  as  I  have  heard 
him  generally  called  by  the  French  and  Creole 
people  of  New  Orleans,  1'Abbe  Rouquette,  was  a 
Catholic  priest  of  French  and  American  parent 
age.  Born  in  New  Orleans  in  1813,  he  descended 
from  an  old  and  wealthy  family  and  began  life 

(127) 


128     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

with  all  the  advantages  of  education  and  social 
position.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  largely 
among  the  Indians  on  Bayou  Lacombe.  He  was 
educated  in  Transylvania  University,  Kentucky, 
the  College  Royal  of  Paris,  and  at  Nantes  and 
Rennes,  finally  receiving  his  baccalaureate  degree 
at  Rennes,  March  26,  1833. 

He  came  home  to  New  Orleans  the  same  year, 
but  had  been  home  again  but  a  short  time,  when 
his  family  growing  alarmed  at  his  love  for  the 
open-air  and  unconventional  existence  he  began 
to  lead  with  his  Indian  friends  and  acquaint 
ances,  persuaded  him  to  return  to  Paris  and 
study  law.  The  dry  details  of  Montesquieu  and 
other  legal  authorities  proved  uncongenial  to 
him,  and  he  soon  abandoned  the  law.  Return 
ing  home,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  study 
of  literature,  especially  poetical  literature. 

In  1841,  he  published  his  first  book,  "  Les 
Savanes,  Poesies  Americaines  "  (Paris,  1841), 
which  is  a  book  of  nature  poems  that  remind 
us  at  the  same  time  of  Chateaubriand  and  Wil 
liam  Cullen  Bryant.  In  1842,  he  began  his 
studies  for  the  priesthood  at  Bayou  Lacombe, 
and  in  1844  he  passed  his  examination  at  the 
Catholic  seminary  at  Assumption  Parish,  and  the 
following  year  was  ordained.  Until  1859,  he 
was  attached  to  the  Cathedrale  at  New  Orleans. 

During  this  period  (1842-1859)  he  published: 
"  Discours  prononce  a  la  Cathedrale  de  Saint 
Louis  a  1' Occasion  de  1'Anniversaire  du  8  Jan 
vier,  1846"  (Nouvelle  Orleans,  1846),  a  pam- 


ADRIEN    EMMANUEL    ROUQUETTE.  129 

phlet  of  forty  pages;  "Wild  Flowers:  Sacred 
Poetry  "  (New  Orleans,  1848)  ;  "  La  Thebiade 
en  Anierique,  ou  Apologie  de  la  Vie  Solitaire  et 
Contemplative"  (Nouvelle  Orleans,  1852);  in 
this  apology  for  a  solitary  and  contemplative  life, 
is  a  prose  defense  of  the  religious  retreats  from 
the  world  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Four  more 
works  issued  from  his  pen:  "  L'Antoniade,  ou  la 
Solitude  avec  Dieu ;  Poemes  eremetique  "  (Nou 
velle  Orleans,  1860);  "Poemes  Patriotiques  " 
(Nouvelle  Orleans,  1860);  "  St.  Catherine  Te- 
gehkwitha  "  (the  Indian  Saint  of  Canada),  and 
"  La  Nouvelle  Atala  "  (Nouvelle  Orleans,  1879). 

Father  Rouquette  was  a  wonderful  linguist; 
he  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  French, 
Italian,  Spanish,  Latin,  Greek,  English  and 
Choctaw  languages.  His  books  were  written, 
some  in  French  and  some  in  English,  but  his 
French  poems  are  far  superior  to  his  English 
poems. 

In  1859,  he  realized  the  dream  of  his  life  by 
establishing  a  mission  in  the  village  of  the  Choc- 
taw  Indians  at  the  head  springs  of  Bayou  La- 
combe.  From  then  on,  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  up  to  1886,  the  year  before  his  death,  was 
spent  among  his  Indian  proteges  of  Bayou  La- 
combe,  and  in  several  missions  in  St.  Tammany 
Parish  which  he  had  established.  He  was  virtu 
ally  the  temporal,  as  well  as  the  spiritual,  head 
of  these  remnants  of  the  Choctaw  tribes. 

At  New  Orleans,  I  saw  a  copy  of  a  pamphlet 
by  I'Abbe'  Rouquette  which  is  known  to  but  very 


130     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

few  people.  Mr.  Cable's  stories  so  stirred  up 
to  arms  the  New  Orleans  Creoles,  that  even  the 
solemn,  sedate  Abbe  Kouquette  could  not  resist 
the  temptation  of  putting  forth  a  pamphlet  in 
rejoinder  —  even  if  it  was  done  anonyinously. 
The  following  is  the  title  of  this  brochure  which, 
1  regret  to  say,  is  entirely  unworthy  of  its  author : 
"  Critical  Dialogue  between  Aboo  and  Caboo  on 
A  New  Book  or  a  Grandissime  Ascension. 
Edited  by  E.  Junius.  Mingo  City  Great  Publish 
ing  House  of  Sam  Slick  Allspice.  12  Veracity 
Street  12.1880.''  Father  Rouquette  died  at  New 
Orleans,  July  15,  1887,  honored,  respected,  and 
beloved. 


SOUVENIR  DE  KENTUCKY. 

(From  "  Les  Savanes.") 

Le  Seigneur  dit  a  Osee:  "  Apres  cela,  ne"anmoins,  je  1'at- 
tirerai  doucement  a  raoi,  je  1'amenerai  dans  la  solitude,  et 
je  lui  parlerai  au  cceur."  —  (La  Bible  Osee.} 

Enfant,  je  dis  un  soir:  Adieu,  ma  bonne  rnere! 
Et  je  quittai  gaiment  sa  maison  et  sa  terre. 
Enfant,  dans  raon  exil,  une  lettre,  un  matin, 
(O  Louise!)  m'apprit  que  j'e*tais  orphelin! 
Enfant,  je  vis  les  bois  du  Kentucky  sauvage, 
Et  1'homme  se  souvient  des  bois  de  son  jeune  age! 
Ah!  dans  le  Kentucky  les  arbres  sont  bien  beaux: 
C'est  la  terre  de  sang,  aux  indiens  tombeaux, 
Terre  aux  belles  forets,  aux  se"culaires  chenes; 
Aux  bois  suivis  de  bois,  aux  magniflques  scenes; 
Irnposant  cimettere,  ou  dorment  en  repos 
Tant  de  rouges-tribus  et  tant  de  blanches  -peanx ; 
Ou  1'ombre  du  vieux  Boon,  immobile  ge*nie, 
Semble  ocouter,  la  nuit,  1'eternelle  harmonie, 


ADRIEN    EMMANUEL    ROUQUETTE.  131 

Le  murmure  e"ternel  des  iramenses  deserts, 

Ces  mille  bruits  confus,  ces  mille  bruits  clivers, 

Get  orgae  des  fort-ts,  cet  orchestre  sublime, 

O  Dieu!  que  seul  tu  fis,  que  seul  ton  souffle  anime! 

Quand  au  vaste  clavier  pese  un  seul  de  tes  doigts, 

Soudain,  roulent  dans  Pair  mille  flots  a  la  fois: 

Soudain,  au  fond  des  bois,  sonores  basiliques, 

Bourdonne  un  oce"an  de  sauvages  musiques; 

Et  1'homme,  a  tous  ces  sons  de  1'orgue  universel, 

L'homme  tombe  a  genoux,  en  regardent  le  ciel! 

II  tombe,  il  croit,  il  prie;  et,  Chretien  sans 

II  retrouve,  etonne,  Dieu  dans  la  solitude! 


THE  NOOK. 
(From  "  Wild  Flowers."} 
The  nook!     0  lovely  spot  of  land, 

Where  I  have  built  my  cell; 
Where,  with  my  Muse,  my  only  friend, 
In  peacefulness  I  dwell. 

The  nook!     O  verdant  seat  of  bliss, 

My  shelter  from  the  blast 
Midst  deserts,  smiling  oasis, 

Where  I  may  rest  at  last. 

The  nook!     0  home  of  birds  and  flowers, 

Where  I  may  sing  and  pray; 
Where  I  may  dream,  in  shady  bowers, 

So  happy  night  and  day. 

The  nook!     O  sacred,  deep  retreat, 
Where  crowds  may  ne'er  intrude; 

Where  men  with  God  and  angels  meet 
In  peaceful  solitude; 

O  paradise,  where  I  have  flown; 

O  woody,  lovely  spot, 
Where  I  may  live  and  die  alone, 

Forgetful  and  forgot! 


132     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY 


TO  NATURE,  MY  MOTHER. 
Dear  Nature  is  the  kindest  mother  still.  —  Byron. 

O  nature,  powerful,  smiling,  calm, 

To  my  unquiet  heart, 
Thy  peace,  distilling  as  a  balm, 

Thy  mighty  life  impart. 

0  nature,  mother  still  the  same, 
So  lovely,  mild  with  me, 

To  live  in  peace,  unsung  by  fame  — 
Unchanged,  I  come  to  thee; 

1  come  to  live  as  saints  have  lived, 

I  fly  where  they  have  fled, 

By  men  unholy  never  grieved, 

In  prayer  my  tears  to  shed. 

Alone  with  thee  from  cities  far, 

Dissolved  each  earthly  tie, 
By  some  divine,  magnetic  star, 

Attracted  still  on  high. 

Oh!  that  my  heart,  inhaling  love 

And  life  with  ectasy, 
From  this  low  world  to  worlds  above, 

Could  rise  exultantly! 


NATHANIEL  HOLMES. 

Nathaniel  Holmes  was  born  in  Peterboro,  New 
Hampshire,  in  1814.  In  1825,  he  began  the 
study  of  Latin  at  Chester  Academy,  and  a  few 
years  later,  he  returned  to  Peterboro,  where  he 
attended  school.  He  next  was  sent  by  his 
parents  to  the  Academy  at  New  Ipswich,  New 
Hampshire,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1830. 
We  next  find  him  at  Philips  Exeter,  from  1830 
to  1833,  and  then  at  Harvard  College.  In  1837 
he  graduated  at  Harvard,  and  the  same  year 
went  south  and  was  employed  as  a  private  tutor 
in  Maryland.  He  then  returned  to  Cambridge 
and  spent  a  year  in  the  Harvard  Law  School. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Boston,  in  1839. 

Removing  to  St.  Louis,  he  opened  a  law  office 
in  that  city  in  1841,  continuing  in  practice  until 
1865.  In  June  of  that  year,  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State  of  Missouri.  He  held  this  position  until 
1868,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  a  professor 
ship  in  the  Harvard  Law  School.  In  1871,  he 
returned  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  law.  Early  in  the  eighties,  he  re 
moved  to  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
lived  quietly,  spending  the  time  mostly  in  reading 
and  study.  Later  on,  he  removed  to  Boston, 
where  he  died  on  February  27th,  1901.  His 

(133) 


134     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

remains  have  since  been  interred  at  Peterboro, 
New  Hampshire,  the  place  of  his  birth. 

Judge  Holmes  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
St.  Louis  Academy  of  Science  in  1856  (an  insti 
tution  which  is  still  flourishing —  an  honor  and  a 
credit  to  St.  Louis),  and  during  a  number  of 
years — from  1870  until  the  day  of  his  death — - 
was  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts 
and  Sciences.  He  published  three  works  :  "  The 
Authorship  of  Shakespeare's  Plays",  in  two 
volumes  (New  York,  1866),  in  which,  following 
in  the  footsteps  of  Delia  Bacon,  he  undertook 
to  prove  that  Lord  Bacon  wrote  the  plays  that 
are  credited  to  Shakespeare.  The  theory  was 
not  a  new  one,  but  Judge  Holmes'  arguments  are 
far  more  logical  and  plausible  than  those  ad 
vanced  by  any  other  supporter  of  Lord  Bacon's 
claim,  even  to  this  day.  While  Ignatius  Don 
nelly,  Doctor  Orville  W.  Owen  and  others  ran 
sacked  the  Shakespeare  folios  for  hidden  ciphers, 
internal  evidences,  etc.,  Judge  Holmes  (true  to 
his  legal  training)  argues  the  question  and  seeks 
to  produce  only  such  evidence  as  is  in  favor  of 
his  client.  *'  The  Authorship  of  Shakespeare" 
is  by  far  the  most  intellectual  work  in  the  Shakes 
peare-Bacon  controversial  literature.  Its  appear 
ance  created  quite  a  literary  sensation  in  the  East 
and  in  England. 

He  next  published,  "Realistic  Idealism  in 
Philosophy  Itself",  in  two  volumes  (Boston, 
1888).  I  have  heard  him  insist  that  this  is  his 
best  work.  His  last  contribution  to  literature 


NATHANIEL    HOLMES.  135 

was  a  large  volume  on  "  The  Philosophy  of  the 
Universe  ". 

A  tall,  silent,  gloomy  man,  he,  was  a  brave 
young  lawyer,  indeed,  who  could  stand  up  before 
him  in  court  and  argue  his  case  without  trepida 
tion  and  fear ! 


OUR  EARLY  COMMON  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 

(From  The  Teacher.  1853.} 

When  our  ancestors,  more  than  two  centuries  ago,  took 
possession  of  a  new  continent  and  laid  the  foundations  of  a 
new  empire  in  America,  one  of  their  first  cares  was  to  pro 
vide  for  a  system  of  public  education.  Local  with  the  first 
settlement  of  New  England,  a  public  school  was  established 
at  Newton  by  public  and  private  means,  with  a  zeal  that  did 
not  stop  with  money,  but  contributed  silver  tea-spoons  from 
the  family  cupboard.  Under  the  protection  of  laws  and 
charters,  it  grew  into  Harvard  College;  and,  by  the  Con 
stitution  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  its  legal  existence 
has  been  confirmed  and  perpetuated  as  a  public  University. 
Local  with  the  settlement  of  Jamestown,  ten  thousand  acres 
of  land  were  set  apart  by  public  authority  in  Virginia,  and 
moneys  contributed  by  private  individuals  were  invested  by 
the  Treasurer  of  the  Colony,  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a 
school  for  the  education  of  Indians  as  well  as  Colonists. 
And  as  early  as  1691,  the  people  of  Virginia  sent  a  commis 
sioner  to  England  to  procure  a  charter  and  money  from  the 
Crown  in  aid  of  funds  appropriated  by  the  Assembly  and 
contributed  by  individuals,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  t 
a  school  in  Virginia,  which  afterwards  became  William  and 
Mary  College.  This  care  for  education  was  an  impulse  of 
the  people  rather  than  the  policy  of  the  English  Government. 
Attorney- General  Seymour  opposed  the  wishes  of  the  Com 
missioner  Blair.  "  But_,"  says  he,  "have  we  not  souls  to  be 
saved?"  The  reply  of  this  early  enemy  of  education  in 
America  was:  ««  Damn  your  souls!  make  tobacco." 
In  1649,  a  system  of  common  schools  was  established  by 


130     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

law  in  all  the  existing  colonies  of  New  England.  They  were 
supported  by  taxation.  A  free  school  instituted  in  Western 
Massachusetts,  in  1755,  soon  grew  into  Williams  College. 

As  early  as  1694,  the  legislative  authority  in  Maryland 
provided  for  a  system  of  common  schools  to  be  organized  in 
every  county  in  the  Colony,  and  "  one  especially  at  Annap 
olis".  In  1720-3,  this  system  of  schools  was  carried  more 
fully  into  effect  by  duties  on  imports  and  exports.  These 
schools  were  continued  on  the  colonial  footing  by  the 
State  Constitution,  after  the  Revolution;  and,  in  1784,  two 
Colleges,  "  Washington  "  and  "  St.  John's  ",  constituting 
together  the  University  of  Maryland,  were  founded  by  act 
of  Assembly  and  an  annual  appropriation  made  of  ten  thou 
sand  dollars  for  their  support. 

In  Pennsylvania,  an  academy  and  free  school  were  pro 
jected  by  Franklin  in  1746,  which  was  fostered  by  public 
authority  and  became,  at  length,  the  University  of  Pennsyl 
vania.  Immediately  after  the  Revolution,  two  Colleges  were 
established  in  this  State  by  Legislative  authority.  In  1748, 
u  King's",  now  "  Columbia"  College,  was  founded  by  the 
Legislature  in  New  York  by  means  of  a  lottery.  Before  the 
Revolution  schools  had  become  more  numerous  in  this  State : 
and,  in  1787,  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  New  York  were 
by  law  entrusted  with  the  "  visitation  and  oversight  "  of  all 
the  Schools  and  Colleges  in  the  State.  In  1746,  a  school 
was  established  in  New  Jersey,  which  was  chartered  as 
Princeton  College  in  1748;  and  Rutger's  College  was  founded 
in  1770. 

In  the  more  Southern  Colonies,  sparseness  of  population 
and  other  adverse  circumstances,  in  these  early  times,  ren 
dered  the  establishment  of  the  common  school  system,  in 
those  Colonies,  more  or  less  impracticable.  And  it  was  for 
reasons  of  this  nature,  rather  than  from  any  lack  of  zeal  on 
*the  part  of  the  people,  in  the  cause  of  public  education,  that 
an  effort  made  by  Thomas  Jefferson  in  1779-1783,  to  organize 
a  general  systm  of  com  mon  schools  in  Virginia,  proved  un 
successful.  By  his  exertions,  however,  in  1783,  professor 
ships  of  Anatomy,  Medicine,  Chemistry,  Law  and  Modern 
Languages,  were  instituted  in  "  William  and  Mary  College  " ; 
and  the  University  of  Virginia,  founded  by  his  patriotic 
efforts  in  behalf  of  knowledge  and  learning,  was  his  especial 
care  in  the  decline  of  life.  Hampden  Sydney  Academy, 


NATHANIEL    HOLMES.  137 

founded  in  Virginia  in  1774,  was  by  public  charter  raised 
into  a  College  in  1783;  and  early  steps  were  taken  by  the 
Legislature  to  provide  for  public  education  in  the  future 
State  of  Kentucky,  by  the  establishment  of  Transylvania 
Seminary  in  that  new  Territory. 

We  have  not  space  for  more  detail.  Nor  does  the  student 
of  American  history  need  to  be  reminded  of  these  facts,  nor 
of  the  uniform  spirit  of  colonial  legislation,  which  they 
most  clearly  manifest  in  favor  of  common  schools  and  public 
education.  The  principle  of  providing  for  general  educa 
tion  by  authority  of  law  was  universally  recognized  and  acted 
upon.  "More  than  a  century  ago,"  says  Bancroft,  "the 
charter  governments  were  celebrated  for  promoting  letters 
by  erecting  free  schools  and  Colleges." 


THOMAS  B.  THORPE. 

Tom  Owen,  the  Bee-Hunter  was  a  famous 
character  in  the  ante-bellum  fiction  of  the  coun 
try.  His  creator,  Thomas  Bangs  Thorpe,  was 
born  in  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  on  March  1st, 
1815.  His  father  was  the  Reverend  Thomas 
Thorpe,  a  man  of  literary  tastes  and  ability. 
The  son  attended  the  Wesleyan  University  at 
Middletowu,  Connecticut,  during  three  years, 
but  on  account  of  delicate  health,  in  183(5  moved 
to  New  Orleans  where  he  resided  until  1853.  He 
was  an  artist  in  his  early  career,  but  a  change 
in  inclination  led  him  to  abandon  painting  for 
literature. 

His  first  book,  "The  Mysteries  of  the  Back 
woods",  was  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1846. 
In  New  Orleans,  and  at  Baton  Rouge,  he  edited 
in  succession  several  Whig  papers.  He  was  a 
warm  admirer  and  political  supporter  of  Henry 
Clay.  The  Mexican  War  breaking  out,  he  en 
listed  in  the  volunteer  army,  and  served  through 
out  the  war.  He  sent  a  regular  correspondence 
from  the  field  to  a  New  Orleans  newspaper,  the 
letters  being  largely  recopied  by  the  press 
throughout  the  United  States.  Two  books  from 
his  pen  sprung  from  the  Mexican  campaign : 
««  Our  Army  on  the  Rio  Grande  "  (New  York, 
1846),  and  "  Our  Army  at  Monterey '"  (Phila- 
(138) 


THOMAS    B.    THORPE.  139 

delphia,  1847) ;  both  works  are  rich  with  histori 
cal  material. 

Mr.  Thorpe  removed  to  New  York  in  1853, 
and  from  that  city,  in  1854,  he  published  "  The 
Hive  of  the  Bee-Hunter  ",  a  collection  of  sketches 
and  stories  of  Southwestern  backwoods  scenery, 
customs,  manners,  characters,  rural  sports,  etc. 
The  same  year,  there  also  appeared,  "  Lynde 
Weiss,  an  Autobiography"  (Philadelphia).  In 
1855,  he  issued  a  very  serious  work,  "A  Voice 
to  America ;  the  Model  Kepublic  :  its  Glory  or  its 
Fall"  (New  York).  In  1857  he  was  co-propri 
etor  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Times,  the  then  well- 
known  New  York  weekly  devoted  to  sports, 
amusements,  etc.  To  this  paper  he  was  a  fre 
quent  contributor  for  many  years,  as  also  to 
Harper's  Magazine.  His  last  published  book 
was  "  Scenes  in  Arkansas  ",  published  some  time 
in  the  sixties.  "  No  one  enters  more  heartily 
into  all  the  whims  and  grotesque  humors  of  the 
backwoodsman,  or  brings  him  more  actually  and 
clearly  before  us",  says  Griswold,  in  his  "  Prose 
Writers  of  America". 

During  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Thorpe  served  as  a 
staff  officer  in  the  Union  Army,  and  was  Surveyor 
of  the  Port  of  New  Orleans  in  1862-63.  In 
1869  he  was  appointed  chief  clerk  in  the  Ware 
house  Department  of  the  New  York  Custom 
House,  which  position  he  held  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  on  September  21st,  1878. 


140     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


TOM  OWEN,  THE  BEE-HUNTER. 

(From  "  Tom  Owen,  the  Bee- Hunter.") 

As  a  country  becomes  cleared  up  and  settled,  bee-hunters 
disappear,  consequently  they  are  seldom  or  never  noticed 
beyond  the  immediate  vicinity  of  their  homes.  Among  this 
backwoods  fraternity,  have  flourished  men  of  genius  in  their 
way,  who  have  died  unwept  and  unnoticed,  while  the  heroes 
of  the  turf,  and  of  the  chase,  have  been  lauded  to  the  skies 
for  every  trivial  superiority  they  may  have  displayed  in  their 
respective  pursuits. 

To  chronicle  the  exploits  of  sportsmen  is  commendable  — 
the  custom  being  as  old  nearly  as  the  days  of  the  antedilu  - 
vians,  for  we  read,  that  "Nimrod  was  a  mighty  hunter  be 
fore  the  Lord  ".  Familiar,  however,  as  Nimrod's  name  may 
be  —  or  even  Davy  Crockett's  —  how  unsatisfactory  their 
records,  when  we  reflect  that  TOM  OWEN,  the  bee-hunter, 
is  comparatively  unknown! 

Yes,  the  mighty  Tom  Owen  has  "  hunted  ",  from  the  time 
that  he  could  stand  alone  until  the  present  time,  and  not  a 
pen  has  inked  paper  to  record  his  exploits.  "  Solitary  and 
alone  "  has  he  traced  his  game  through  the  mazy  labyrinth 
of  air;  marked,  I  hunted;  —  I  found;  —  I  conquered;  — 
upon  the  carcasses  of  his  victims,  and  then  marched  home 
ward  with  his  spoils;  quietly  and  satisfied,  sweetening  his 
path  through  life ;  and  by  its  very  obscurity,  adding  the 
principal  element  of  the  sublime. 

It  was  on  a  beautiful  southern  October  morning,  at  the 
hospitable  mansion  of  a  friend,  where  I  was  staying  to 
drown  dull  care,  that  I  first  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Tom 
Owen. 

He  was,  on  this  occasion,  straggling  up  the  rising  ground 
that  led  to  the  hospitable  mansion  of  mine  host,  and  the 
difference  between  him  and  ordinary  men  was  visible  at  a 
glance;  perhaps  it  showed  itself  as  much  in  the  perfect  con 
tempt  of  fashion  that  he  displayed  in  the  adornment  of  his 
outward  man,  as  it  did  in  the  more  elevated  qualities  of  his 
mind,  which  were  visible  in  his  face.  His  head  was  adorned 
with  an  outlandish  pattern  of  a  hat  —  his  nether  limbs  were 
encased  by  a  pair  of  inexpressibles,  beautifully  fringed  by 


THOMAS    B.    THORPE.  141 

the  briar-bushes  through  which  they  were  often  drawn; 
coats  and  vests,  he  considered  as  superfluities;  hanging  upon 
his  neck  were  a  couple  of  pails,  and  an  axe  in  his  right  hand, 
formed  the  varieties  that  represented  the  corpus  of  Tom 
Owen. 

As  is  usual  with  great  men,  he  had  his  followers,  who, 
with  a  courtier-like  humility,  depended  upon  the  expression 
of  his  face  for  all  their  hopes  of  success. 

The  usual  salutations  of  meeting  were  sufficient  to  draw 
me  within  the  circle  of  his  influence,  and  I  at  once  became 
one  of  his  most  ready  followers. 

"  See  yonder!  "  said  Tom,  stretching  his  long  arm  into 
infinite  space, ((  see  yonder  —  there's  a  bee." 

We  all  looked  in  the  direction  he  pointed,  but  that  was 
the  extent  of  our  observations. 

"  It  was  a  fine  bee,"  continued  Tom,  "  black  body,  yellow 
legs,  and  went  into  that  tree,"  —  pointing  to  a  towering  oak 
blue  in  the  distance.  "  In  a  clear  day  I  can  see  a  bee  over 
a  mile,  easy!  " 

When  did  Coleridge  "talk"  like  that!  And  yet  Tom 
Owen  uttered  such  a  saying  with  perfect  ease. 

After  a  variety  of  meanderings  through  the  thick  woods, 
and  clambering  over  fences,  we  came  to  our  place  of  des 
tination,  as  pointed  out  by  Tom,  who  selected  a  mighty 
tree  containing  sweets,  the  possession  of  which  the  poets 
have  likened  to  other  sweets  that  leave  a  sting  behind. 

The  felling  of  a  mighty  tree  is  a  sight  that  calls  up  a 
variety  of  emotions;  and  Tom's  game  was  lodged  in  one  of 
the  finest  trees  in  the  forest.  But  "  the  axe  was  laid  at  the 
root  of  the  tree",  which  in  Tom's  mind  was  made  expressly 
for  bees  to  build  their  nests  in,  that  he  might  cut  them  down, 
and  obtain  possession  of  their  honeyed  treasure.  The  sharp 
axe,  as  it  played  in  the  hands  of  Tom,  was  replied  to  by  a 
stout  negro  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  tree,  and  their 
united  strokes  fast  gained  upon  the  heart  of  their  lordly 
victim. 

There  was  little  poetry  in  the  thought,  that  long  before 
this  mighty  empire  of  States  was  formed,  Tom  Owen's 
"bee-hive  "  had  stretched  its  brawny  arms  to  the  winter's 
blast,  and  grown  green  in  the  summer's  sun. 

Yet  such  was  the  case,  and  how  long  I  might  have  moral 
ized  I  know  not,  had  not  the  enraged  buzzing  about  my  ears 


142     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

satisfied  me  that  the  occupants  of  the  tree  were  not  going  to 
give  up  their  home  and  treasure,  without  showing  consid 
erable  practical  fight.  No  sooner  had  the  little  insects  sat 
isfied  themselves  that  they  were  about  to  be  invaded,  than 
they  began,  one  after  another,  to  descend  from  their  airy 
abode,  and  fiercely  pitched  into  our  faces;  anon  a  small 
company,  headed  by  an  old  veteran,  would  charge  with  its 
entire  force  upon  all  parts  of  our  body  at  once. 

It  need  not  be  said  that  the  better  part  of  valor  was  dis 
played  by  a  precipitate  retreat  from  such  attacks. 

In  the  midst  of  this  warfare,  the  tree  began  to  tremble 
with  the  fast  repeated  strokes  of  the  axe,  and  then  might 
have  been  seen  a  " bee-line"  of  stingers  precipitating 
themselves  from  above,  on  the  unfortunate  hunter  beneath. 

Now  it  was  that  Tom  shown  forth  in  his  glory,  for  his 
partisans  —  like  many  hangers-on  about  great  men,  began 
to  desert  him  on  the  first  symptoms  of  danger;  and  when  the 
trouble  thickened,  they,  one  and  all,  took  to  their  heels, 
and  left  only  our  hero  and  Sambo  to  fight  the  adversaries. 
Sambo,  however,  soon  dropped  his  axe,  and  fell  into  all 
kinds  of  contortions;  first  he  would  seize  the  back  of  his 
neck  with  his  hands,  then  his  legs,  and  yell  with  pain. 
"  Never  holler  till  you  get  out  of  the  woods  ",  said  the  sub 
lime  Tom,  consolingly;  but  writhe  the  negro  did,  until  he 
broke,  and  left  Tom  "  alone  in  his  glory  ". 

Cut, — thwack  1  sounded  through  the  confused  hum  at 
the  foot  of  the  tree,  marvellously  reminding  me  of  the  inter 
ruptions  that  occasionally  broke  in  upon  the  otherwise 
monotonous  hours  of  my  school-boy  days. 

A  sharp  crack  finally  told  ine  the  chopping  was  done,  and 
looking  aloft,  I  saw  the  mighty  tree  balancing  in  the  air. 
Slowly,  and  majestically,  it  bowed  for  the  first  time  towards 
its  mother  earth,  —  gaining  velocity  as  it  descended,  it 
shivered  the  trees  that  interrupted  its  downward  course, 
and  falling  with  thundering  sounds,  splintered  its  mighty 
limbs,  and  buried  them  deeply  in  the  ground. 

The  sun  for  the  first  time  in  at  least  two  centuries,  broke 
uninterruptedly  through  the  chasm  made  in  the  forest  and 
showed  with  splendor  upon  the  magnificent  Tom,  standing 
a  conqueror  among  his  spoils. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  bees  were  very  much  aston 
ished  and  confused,  and  by  their  united  voices  proclaimed 


THOMAS    B.    THORPE.  143 

death,  had  it  been  in  their  power,  to  all  their  foes,  not,  'of 
course,  excepting  Tom  Owen  himself.  But  the  wary  hunter 
was  up  to  the  tricks  of  his  trade,  and,  like  a  politician, 
he  knew  how  easily  an  enraged  mob  could  be  quelled  with 
smoke;  and  smoke  he  tried,  until  his  enemies  were  com 
pletely  destroyed. 

We,  Tom's  hangers-on,  now  approached  his  treasure.  It 
was  a  rich  one,  and,  as  he  observed,  "contained  a  rich 
chance  of  plunder".  Nine  feet,  by  measurement,  of  the 
hollow  of  the  tree,  were  full,  and  this  afforded  many  pails 
of  honey. 

Tom  was  liberal,  and  supplied  us  all  with  more  than  we 
wanted,  and  «<  toted  ",  by  the  assistance  of  Sambo,  his  share 
to  his  own  home,  soon  to  be  devoured,  and  soon  to  be  re 
placed  by  the  destruction  of  another  tree,  and  another 
nation  of  bees. 

Thus  Tom  exhibited,  within  himself,  an  unconquerable 
genius  which  would  have  immortalized  him,  had  he  directed 
it  in  following  the  sports  of  Long  Island  or  New  Market. 

We  have  seen  the  great  men  of  the  southern  turf  glorying 
around  the  victories  of  their  favorite  sport  —  we  have  heard 
the  great  western  hunter  detail  the  soul-stirring  adventures 
of  a  bear-hunt  —  we  have  listened  with  almost  suffocating 
interest,  to  the  tale  of  a  Nantucket  seaman,  while  he  por 
trayed  the  death  of  a  mighty  whale  —  and  we  have  also  seen 
Tom  Owen  triumphantly  engaged  in  a  bee  hunt  —  we  beheld 
and  wondered  at  the  sports  of  the  turf  —  the  field  —  and  the 
sea — because  the  objects  acted  on  by  man  were  terrible, 
indeed,  when  their  instincts  were  aroused. 

But,  in  the  bee-hunt  of  Tom  Owen,  and  its  consumma 
tion, —  the  grandeur  visible  was  imparted  by  the  mighty 
mind  of  Tom  Owen  himself. 


EDMUND  FLAGG. 

Edmund  Flagg  was  born  in  Wincasset,  Maine, 
November  24,  1815.  He  graduated  from  Bow- 
doin  College  in  1835,  and,  the  same  year,  went  to 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  he  taught  the  classics 
and  wrote  for  The  Louisville  Journal,  which  was 
under  the  editorial  control  of  George  D.  Pren 
tice.  In  1836,  he  removed  to  St.  Louis,  and 
studied  law  under  Hamilton  R.  Gamble,  after 
wards  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Missouri,  and  finally,  governor  of  the  state. 

In  1838,  while  editing  the  St.  Louis  Daily 
Commercial  Bulletin,  Mr.  Flagg  published  "  The 
Far  West  ",  in  two  volumes  (New  York),  which 
is  a  journal  of  his  wanderings  over  the  prairies 
of  Illinois  and  Missouri.  The  same  year,  he  re 
turned  to  Louisville  and  became  connected  with 
Prentice's  Louisville  Literary  News-Letter.  In 
1840,  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  the  bril 
liant  advocate,  Sargent  S.  Prentiss,  and  removed 
to  Vicksburg,  Mississippi.  His  legal  career  there 
was  of  short  duration,  for,  in  1842,  he  was  edit 
ing  The  Gazette  at  Marietta,  Ohio.  The  same 
year,  he  published,  in  New  York,  two  novels, 
"  Carrero  ;  or,  The  Prime  Minister  ",  and  "  Fran- 
c^ois  of  Valois  ".  In  1844-45,  he  returned  to  St. 
Louis  where  he  assumed  the  editorial  charge  of 
The  Evening  Gazette,  and  shortly  after,  held 
(144) 


EDMUND    FLAGG.  145 

during  many  years,  the  position  of  reporter  of 
the  courts  of  St.  Louis  County.  About  this  time, 
the  plays,  "  Blanche  of  Valois  "  and  "  The  How 
ard  Queen  ",  both  from  his  pen,  were  played 
successfully  in  the  theaters  of  New  York,  Cin 
cinnati,  St.  Louis,  Louisville  and  New  Orleans. 

Mr.  Flagg  wrote  a  long  paper  on  "  The  Spirit 
of  the  Age  ",  which  he  delivered  as  a  public  lec 
ture  in  1844  and  1845  in  several  Western  cities 
to  large  audiences.  This  lecture  was  very  favor 
ably  reviewed  by  many  papers.  I  can  find  no 
evidence  of  its  ever  having  been  published. 

In  1848,  Mr.  Flagg  was  secretary  to  the  Amer 
ican  Minister  to. Berlin,  and  in  1850,  he  was  again 
practicing  law  in  St.  Louis.  The  same  year, 
President  Tyler  appointed  him  American  Consul 
at  Venice.  In  1852>  he  published  a  history  of 
that  city  in  two  volumes,  under  the  title  of, 
"Venice,  the  City  of  the  Sea"  (New  York)  ; 
the  period  he  covers  is  from  1797  to  1849.  In 
1853,  he  was  under  Secretary  Marcy  in  the  Bureau 
of  the  Department  of  State  at  Washington,  and 
in  185()-57,  as  Chief  of  Statistics,  he  published  his 
famous  "Report  on  the  Commercial  Relations  of 
the  United  States  with  all  Foreign  Nations" 
(Washington).  M.  Rouher,  the  famous  French 
Minister  of  Commerce,  has  pronounced  these  two 
large  volumes  as  unsurpassed  by  any  similar  work 
ever  printed,  an  opinion  which  has  been  indorsed  by 
several  European  commercial  authorities.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  sixties,  he  published,  "  North 
Italy  since  1849  ' ' ,  which  continues  his  « '  Venice  ' ' . 

10 


146     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

"De  Molai,the  Last  of  the  Military  Templars  ", 
a  novel,  his  last  work,  was  issued  in  1888. 

In  the  St.  Louis  Daily  People's  Organ,  No 
vember  5,  1844,  the  opening  chapters  of  an  his 
torical  novelette,  "  The  Duchess  of  Ferrara",  by 
Mr.  Flagg,  appears.  The  story  was  continued 
daily  and  concluded  in  the  issue  of  November 
15th.  This  story  has  never  been  published  in 
bookf  orm . 


OUR  EARLY  COMMERCIAL  RELATIONS. 

The  following  extract  is  from  the  first  volume 
of  Mr.  Flagg' s  "  Eeport  on  the  Commercial  Ke- 
lations  of  the  United  States  "  (1857)  : 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  col 
onies  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  trading  with  England,  the 
British  West  Indies,  and  that  part  of  Europe  south  of  Cape 
Finifcterre";  and  though  oppressed  by  unjust  exactions,  and 
burdened  with  illiberal  restrictions,  they  not  only  contributed 
to  the  wealth  and  material  prosperity  of  the  mother  country, 
but  "gave  every  promise  of  thriving,  and  achieving  a  name 
of  their  own  ". 

During  the  Revolutionary  War,  all  commercial  operations 
were  suspended,  and  the  peace  of  1783  found  the  trade  of  the 
new  thirteen  independent  sovereignties  in  a  most  feeble  and 
languishing  condition.  Their  independence  made  them  a 
foreign  country  to  North  American  and  West  India  colonies; 
and,  by  a  rigorous  system  of  colonial  non-intercourse,  they 
were  cut  off  from  all  trade  with  those  who  were  their  natural 
commercial  neighbors,  and,  prior  to  the  revolution,  their 
most  profitable  customers. 

The  exhausted  condition  to  which  the  several  States  were 
now  reduced  rendered  the  first  few  years  after  the  close  of 
the  war  a  period  of  the  most  intense  solicitude.  The  confed 
erated  states  were  fully  sensible  of  the  absolute  necessity  of 


EDMUND    FLAGG.  147 

opening  a  foreign  trade,  and  especially  of  recovering  their 
lost  intercourse  with  the  British  West  Indies  ;  but  every  prop 
osition  to  that  end,  urged  through  their  accredited  ministers 
was  met  by  a  decided  refusal. 

As  early  as  1783,  Mr.  Pitt,  then  chancellor  of  the  excheq 
uer,  proposed  a  bill  in  the  British  Parliament  based  upon 
the  liberal  principle  of  "  admitting  to  all  the  parts  of  the 
British  dominion  American  vessels  loaded  with  goods,  the 
growth  or  produce  of  these  (the  United  States),  OD  the  same 
terms  as  British  vessels  and  goods";  but  the  proposition  at 
once  startled  the  fears  of  the  British  merchants,  who,  with 
the  aid  of  Lord  North,  Mr.  Fox,  and  Lord  Sheffield,  suc 
ceeded  in  transferring  the  whole  subject  to  the  discretion  of 
the  King  and  his  council.  The  consequence  was,  that  an 
order  was  immediately  issued,  not  only  excluding  American 
vessels  from  all  participation  in  the  colonial  trade,  but  pro 
hibiting  the  exportation  from  the  United  States  of  provisions 
and  fish,  even  in  British  bottoms. 

Two  years  after  Mr.  Pitt's  unsuccessful  motion  for  recip 
rocal  trade  between  the  dominions  of  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States,  John  Adams,  American  minister  at  the  court 
of  St.  James,  was  instructed  to  renew  the  proposition;  but 
it  met  with  no  more  favorable  reception  than  it  did  in  1783, 
Lord  Liverpool  declaring  "that  it  could  not  be  admitted 
even  as  a  subject  of  negotiation  ". 

In  178(J,  another  effort  was  made  by  the  United  States  to 
negotiate  with  Great  Britain  a  commercial  treaty,  particu 
larly  with  reference  to  the  colonial  trade,  based  upon  prin 
ciples  of  a  more  liberal  reciprocity. 

Mr.  Morris,  then  in  London,  was  especially  instructed  to 
effect,  if  possible,  a  negotiation  admitting  American  pro 
ductions,  in  American  bottoms,  into  British  North  American 
possessions,  and  bringing,  in  return,  the  productions  of  those 
colonies  to  our  own  ports  and  markets.  The  result  of  these 
renewed  efforts  was  communicated  to  the  government  of  the 
United  States  by  Mr.  Morris  in  his  dispatch  of  September  18, 
1790,  and  was,  in  effect,  that  no  arrangement  by  treaty  could 
be  made. 

From  this  period  to  the  year  1822,  the  ports  of  the  British 
American  colonies  were  virtually  closed  against  the  com 
merce  of  the  United  States,  some  slight  relaxations  having 
been  granted,  abating,  however,  to  no  perceptible  extent, 


148     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

the  stringency  of  the  measures  adopted  by  the  British  Par 
liament,  with  a  view  to  confine,  within  the  very  narrowest 
limits,,  the  commercial  entc  rprise  of  a  country  in  which,  even 
at  that  early  period,  she  descried  a  future  rival  for  maritime 
supremacy. 


THE  ANCIENT  MOUNDS  OF  THE  WEST. 

(From  The  Louisville  Literary  News-Letter.} 
Ages  since  —  long  ere  the  first  son  of  the  Old  World  had 
pressed  the  fresh  soil  of  the  New  —  long  before  the  bright 
region  beyond  the  blue  waves  had  become  the  object  of  the 
philosopher's  reverie  by  day,  and  the  enthusiast's  vision  by 
night  —  in  the  deep  stillness  and  solitude  of  an  unpeopled 
land,  these  vast  mausoleums  rose  as  they  now  rise,  in  lonely 
grandeur  from  the  plain ;  and  looked  down  even  as  now  they 
look,  upon  the  giant  floods  rolling  their  dark  waters  at  their 
base,  hurrying  past  them  to  the  deep.  So  has  it  been  with 
the  massive  tombs  of  Egypt,  amid  the  sands  and  barrenness 
of  the  desert.  For  ages  untold  have  the  gloomy  pyramids 
been  reflected  by  the  inundations  of  the  Nile;  an  hundred 
generations,  they  tell  us,  have  arisen  from  the  cradle,  and 
reposed  beneath  their  shadows,  and  like  autumn  leaves 
have  dropped  into  the  grave;  but,  from  the  midnight  of  by 
gone  centuries,  comes  forth  no  daring  spirit  to  claim  these 
kingly  sepulchres  as  his  own!  And  shall  the  dusky  piles, 
on  the  plains  of  distant  Egypt  affect  so  deeply  our  reverence 
for  the  departed,  and  these  mighty  monuments,  reposing  in 
daik  sublimity  upon  our  own  magnificent  prairies,  vailed  in 
mystery  more  inscrutable  than  they,  call  forth  no  solitary 
throb?  Is  there  no  hallowing  interest  associated  with  these 
aged  relics  —  these  tombs,  and  temples,  and  towers,  of  an 
other  race,  to  elicit  emotion?  Are  they  indeed  to  us  no 
more  than  the  dull  clods  we  tread  upon?  Why  then  does  the 
wanderer  from  the  far  land  gaze  upon  them  with  wonder  and 
veneration?  Why  linger  fondly  around  them,  and  meditate 
upon  the  power  which  reared  them,  and  is  departed?  Why 
does  the  poet,  the  man  of  genius  and  fancy,  or  the  philoso 
pher  of  mind  and  nature,  seat  himself  at  their  base,  and 
with  strange  and  undefined  emotions,  pause  and  ponder, 


EDMUND    FLAGG.  149 

amid  the  loneliness  that  slumbers  around?  And  surely,  if  the 
far  traveller,  as  he  wanders  through  this  Western  Valley, 
may  linger  around  these  aged  piles,  and  meditate  upon  a 
power  departed— a  race  obliterated  —  an  influence  swept 
from  the  earth  forever — and  dwell  with  melancholy  emo 
tions  upon  the  destiny  of  man,  is  it  not  meet,  that  those  into 
whose  keeping  they  seem  by  Providence  consigned,  should 
regard  them  with  interest  and  emotion?  —  that  they  should 
gather  up  and  preserve  every  incident  relevant  to  their 
origin,  design,  or  history,  which  may  be  attained,  and  avail 
themselves  of  every  measure,  which  may  give  to  them  per 
petuity,  and  hand  them  down,  undisturbed  in  form  or  char 
acter,  to  other  generations? 

That  these  venerable  piles  are  of  the  workmanship  of 
man's  hand,  no  one,  who  with  unprejudiced  opinion  has 
examined  them,  can  doubt.  But  with  such  an  admission, 
what  is  the  cloud  of  reflections,  which  throng  and  startle 
the  mind?  What  a  series  of  unanswerable  inquiries  suc 
ceed!  When  were  these  enormous  earth-heaps  reared  up 
from  the  plain?  By  what  race  of  beings  was  the.  vast  un 
dertaking  accomplished?  What  was  their  purpose?  —  what 
changes  in  their  form  and  miguitude  have  taken  place?  — 
what  vicissitudes  and  revolutions  have,  in  the  lapse  of  cen 
turies,  rolled  like  successive  waves  over  the  plains  at  their 
base?  As  we  reflect,  we  anxiously  look  around  us  for  some 
tradition  —  sometime-stained  chronicle  —  some  age-worn 
record —  even  the  faintest  and  most  unsatisfactory  legend, 
upon  which  to  repose  our  credulity,  and  relieve  the  inquir 
ing  solicitude  of  the  mind.  But  our  research  is  hopeless. 
The  present  race  of  Aborigines  can  tell  nothing  of  these 
tumuli.  To  them  as  to  us  they  are  vailed  in  mystery. 
Ages  since  —  long  ere  the  white-face  came  —  while  this  fail- 
land  was  yet  the  home  of  his  fathers  —  the  simple  Indian 
stood  before  the  venerable  earth -heap,  and  gazed,  and  won 
dered,  and  turned  away. 


THE  AUGUSTINS. 

The  Augustins  of  New  Orleans  have  a  decided 
penchant  for  literature.  The  family  originally 
came  from.Chinnon,  France.  Jean  Augustin  tied 
from  France  with  his  wife  during  the  Eeign 
of  Terror,  and  settled  in  San  Domingo.  One 
son  was  born  to  them  on  that  island,  J.  B. 
Donatieu  Augustin.  During  the  insurrection  of 
the  slaves  in  the  beginning  of  the  19th  century, 
the  family  were  saved  from  the  general  massacre 
through  the  agency  of  a  faithful  servant  and 
escaped  to  Santiago  de  Cuba.  About  in  181(5 
they  removed  to  New  Orleans. 

J.  B.  Donatieu  Augustin  married  a  Mademoi 
selle  La  Branche,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  old 
colonial  families.  He  was  a  soldier,  jurist  and 
litterateur.  He  contributed,  in  prose  and  verse, 
to  the  New  Orleans  newspapers  and  literary 
journals.  His  son,  'James  Donatieu,  inherited 
his  father's  talents  and  was  a  prolific  contribu 
tor,  in  both  prose  and  poetry,  to  home  and 
Southern  daily  papers  and  magazines. 

His  brother,  John,  was  a  soldier,  journalist 
and  musician.  From  1869  to  1888,  he  was  con 
nected  with  the  New  Orleans  daily  press  and 
wrote  numerous  sketches  of  local  traditions  and 
legends;  he  published  a  volume  of  poems,  "  War 
Flowers"  (1865),  written  while  serving  in  the 
(150) 


THE    AUGUSTINS.  1.51 

Confederate  army.  Some  of  the  verses  were 
actually  written  on  battlefields,  the  caissons  of 
cannons  doing  duty  as  desks. 

Marie  Augustin,  sister  of  John  Augustinv  pub 
lished,  "  Le  Macondal  ",  founded  on  an  episode 
in  the  slave  insurrection  in  San  Domingo. 

George  Augustin,  one  of  the  sons  of  James 
Donatieu,  is  a  journalist,  poet  and  general  writer. 
He  is  at  present  (February,  1904),  secretary  of 
the  Orleans  Parish  Medical  Association.  He  has 
published  a  volume  of  miscellaneous  poems  ;  "  Ro 
mances  of  New  Orleans  "  (1891);  "The  Vigil 
of  a  Soul  "  (1899)  ;  "  Yetta  the  Nun,  and  Other 
Stories",  and  "  The  Haunted  Bridal  Chamber". 
These  were  all  published  in  New  Orleans. 

James  M.  Augustin,  another  son  of  James  Do 
natieu,  and  brother  of  the  preceding,  began  his 
newspaper  career  when  he  was  sixteen  (he  is  now 
forty-six) .  He  is  a  linguist —  having  contributed 
to  the  press  of  New  Orleans  in  English,  French, 
Italian,  Spanish  and  German.  Since  eighteen 
years  he  has  been  on  the  staff  of  the  Picayune, 
alternating  from  reporter  to  literary  reviewer. 
He  has  a  special  inclination  for  historical  re 
searches  and  literary  history.  He  has  published 
two  pamphlets,  "Sketch  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  in  Connection  With  the  Centennial  of  the 
St.  Louis  Cathedral"  (New  Orleans,  1893)  (86 
pp.) ;  and,  "  Official  Souvenir  Programme  of  the 
Transfer  of  Louisiana", etc. (New  Orleans,  1903). 
He  contemplates  issuing  a  volume  of  essays  during 
the  present  year. 


152     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


THE  ST.  LOUIS  CATHEDRAL. 

(FromJ.  M.  Augusttn's  "Souvenir  Programme,"  etc.) 
The  first  edifice  was  called  the  Parish  Church  of  St.  Louis. 
It  was  a  structure  of  wood  and  abobeandwas  built  byBien- 
ville  shortly  after  he  founded  the  city.  That  primitive  struc 
ture  was  destroyed  in  a  fearful  hurricane  which  visited  this 
city  in  1723.  A  new  church  was  built  of  brick  in  1724,  and 
it  was  consumed  in  the  memorable  fire,  which  on  Good 
Friday,  March  21,  1788,  burned  nearly  the  entire  city.  That 
conflagration  was  so  disastrous  that  the  colonists  could  not 
rebuild  the  church,  and  it  was  at  this  crisis  that  Don  Andres 
Almonaster  y  Roxas  erected,  at  his  own  expense,  a  church 
for  New  Orleans  on  condition  that  a  mass  be  said  every  Sun 
day,  in  perpetuity,  for  the  repose  of  his  soul.  He  built  the 
church  at  a  cost  of  $50,000.  The  design  was  of  the  usual 
heavy  Spanish  style,  with  three  round  towers  in  front,  like 
the  church  buildings  erected  in  Mexico  and  South  America 
by  the  Spaniards.  In  1793,  when  New  Orleans  was  detached 
from  the  Diocese  of  Havana,  and  erected  into  a  distinct 
Episcopal  See,  the  beautiful  church  was  raised  to  the  dignity 
of  a  cathedral.  In  1851  the  building  was  remodeled,  and 
steeples  were  added  to  the  towers.  The  facade  was  con 
siderably  changed.  The  present  portico,  with  its  columns 
and  pilasters,  dates  from  that  time.  In  1892  the  interior  was 
elaborately  frescoed  with  portraits  of  saints  and  Biblical 
scenes.  Beneath  the  main  altar  is  a  large  crypt,  in  which 
many  of  the  ancient  prelates,  and  some  of  the  latter-day 
archbishops,  are  buried.  Several  distinguished  personages 
of  colonial  times  are  buried  under  the  side  altars.  Don  An 
dres  Almonaster  y  Roxas,  founder  of  the  Cathedral,  sleeps 
under  St.  Joseph's  altar,  and  several  members  of  the  Mande- 
ville  de  Marigny  family  repose  in  a  crypt  under  the  altar  of 
Mary. 

Many  notable  events  have  taken  place  in  the  Cathedral. 
Bishop  Dubourg  celebrated  the  solemn  high  mass  in  thanks 
giving  for  the  victory  of  General  Jackson  over  the  British  at 
Chalmette.  It  was  attended  by  General  Jackson  and  his 
soldiers,  and  at  the  close  a  "  Te  Deum  "  was  sung.  The 
anniversary  of  the  centennial  of  the  Cathedral,  in  April,  1893, 


THE    AUGUSTINS.  153 

was  a  memorable  event,  and  was  attended  by  all  the  bishops 
and  archbishops  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Territory ;  all  the 
priests  of  the  diocese,  the  Governor  of  the  State ;  the  members 
of  the  State  Supreme  and  City  courts,  the  foreign  consuls, 
the  military,  etc.  Another  imposing  occasion  was  in  1896, 
when,  for  the  first  time  in  American  history,  two  cardinals 
united  at  the  offering  of  the  pontifical  high  mass,  which 
marked  the  opening  of  the  Catholic  Winter  School.  The 
most  recent  event  was  the  joint  consecration  on  July  2, 1899, 
of  the  Archbishop  of  Santiago  de  Cuba,  and  the  Bishop  of 
Porto  Rico,  the  first  appointed  to  these  ancient  Sees  after 
the  close  of  the  Spanish-American  War.  The  St.  Louis 
Presbytery,  which  adjoins  the  Cathedral,  is  also  an  ancient 
building. 

The  other  building,  like  the  Cabildo,  on  the  St.  Ann  Street 
side  of  the  church,  is  occupud  now  by  the  Civil  District 
Courts.  It  was  formerly  the  monastery  of  the  Capuchin 
monks. 


JACKSON  SQUARE. 

(From  J.  M.  Aucjustin^s  "  Souvenir  Programme"  e£c.) 
This  also  is  an  historic  spot  It  was  originally  called  the 
'•  Place  d'Armes  ",  or  rendezvous  and  parade  ground  for  the 
troops.  When  the  Jackson  equestrian  statue,  which  now 
adorns  it,  was  placed,  the  name  of  the  victor  of  Chalmette 
was  given  to  the  square.  On  the  spot  occupied  by  the 
statue,  there  upraised  in  olden  times  a  huge  flagstaff  from 
which,  in  turn,  the  colors  of  France,  Spain  and  the  United 
States  were  unfurled  in  the  breeze.  It  was  in  the  (l  Place 
d'Armes"  that  Don  Ulloa  received  the  keys  of  the  city,  and 
took  possession  of  Louisiana,  in  the  name  of  the  King  of 
Spain,  in  1766.  There  met  the  band  of  patriots  under  La- 
freniere  to  renounce  the  authority  of  Spain,  and  declare  the 
independence  of  Louisiana.  It  was  in  the  same  u Place 
d'Armes  "  that  Don  Bernardo  de  Galvez,  one  of  the  most 
heroic  figures  in  Louisiana's  history,  first  appeared  in  1779, 
before  a  great  meeting  of  citizens,  and  won  their  hearts. 
Though  but  a  youth  of  21,  he  held  a  commission  as  Captain  - 
General  and  Governor  of  the  province,  but  he  told  the  citi- 


154     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

zens  that  he  would  not  accept  the  office  without  their 
consent,  and  loyalty.  They  confirmed  his  appointment  with 
enthusiasm,  and  from  the  same  spot  he  led  an  army  of  1,500 
young  Creoles  against  the  British.  The  two  long  rows  of 
brick  buildings  on  each  side  of  the  "Place  d'Armes"  were 
erected  early  in  the  nineteenth  century,  by  the  Baroness  de 
Pontalba,  daughter  of  Don  Andres  Almonaster  y  Roxas,  and 
are  still  owned  by  her  descendants. 


EDWARD  D.  NEILL. 

The  Reverend  Edward  Duth'eld  Neill  is  the 
author  of  a  "  History  of  Minnesota  from  the 
Earliest  French  Explorations  to  the  Present 
Time"  (Philadelphia,  1858),  and  a  pamphlet, 
' '  Maryland  not  a  Roman  Catholic  Colony  ' ' .  He 
contributed  to  the  "  Annals  of  the  Minnesota 
Historical  Society"  (1850),  a  paper  on  "The 
Discoveries  of  the  North-West",  and  to  the 
"  Annals"  for  1853,  "  Dakota  Land  ".  Jointly 
with  W.  W.  Warren,  he  published  a  "  History  of 
the  Ojibways  based  upon  Traditions  and  Oral 
Statements"  (1885). 

I  copy  the  following  from  a  London  booksel 
ler's  catalogue:  "Neill,  Reverend  Edward  D. 
(Dakota  writer).  The  English  Colonization  of 
America  during  the  Seventeenth  Century.  Lon 
don,  1871".  I  cannot  find  that  this  work  has 
ever  been  published  in  the  United  States.  No 
mention  is  made  of  it  in  biographical  sketches  of 
Mr.  Neill. 

Another  historical  work  by  the  Reverend  Doc 
tor  Neill  is,  a  "  History  of  the  Virginia  Com 
pany  of  London,  with  Letters  to  and  from  the 
first  Colony,  never  before  printed  "  (Albany,  New 
York,  1869)  ;  this  work  contains  much  new  mat 
ter  which  throws  some  light  on  the  lives,  views, 
pursuits,  etc.,  of  our  early  ancestors;  the  same 

(155) 


156     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

may  be  said  of  his  "Founders  of  Maryland,  as 
portrayed  in  Manuscripts,  Provincial  Records  and 
Early  Documents  "  (Albany,  New  York,  1876). 

Edward  D.  Neill  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1823,  and  was  educated  prima 
rily  at  Amherst  College,  and  later  on  at  the  Uni 
versity  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he  gradu 
ated  early  in  the  forties.  He  then  studied  for 
the  ministry,  and  after  being  ordained,  he  re 
moved  to  Minnesota,  where,  in  1849,  he  was  the 
first  Protestant  clergyman  in  the  State.  He 
died  in  St.  Paul,  September  26,  1893. 

Doctor  Neill's  "History  of  Minnesota''  h>-s 
gone  through  ten  editions.  It  is  still  the  stand 
ard  history  of  that  state.  He  was  extremely 
painstaking  and  conscientious  in  his  work;  a 
gentleman  who  knew  him  intimately  told  me  of 
his  searching  through  cyclopedias  and  back  files 
of  newspapers  for  hours  daily,  sometimes  for  a 
full  week,  to  find  the  exact  day  of  an  occurrence 
(for  his  "  History  of  Minnesota  "  )  of  no  large  im 
portance.  He  knew  the  month  and  the  year,  but 
that  would  not  do  —  he  must  have  the  exact  day. 

Doctor  Neill's  histories  have  one  glaring  de- 
feet  —  they  are  too  diffuse.  He  was  too  anxious 
to  say  all  that  could  be  said  on  the  subject  he 
treated,  and  so  failed  to  realize  that  many  small 
facts  were  of  so  little  —  if  of  any  —  importance 
that  they  were  best  un noticed. 

I  must  not  forget  to  mention  two  more  works 
of  his,  "Terra  Marie  "  and  "  The  Fairfaxes  of 
England  and  America  ". 


EDWARD    D.     NEILL.  157 


POCAHONTAS. 

(From  "  The  Virginia  Company  of  London.") 

In  the  first  relation  of  the  colony  of  Virginia,  published 
in  1608,  and  attributed  to  Captain  Smith,  Pocahontas  is 
briefly  noticed  in  these  words : 

"  Powhatan  understanding  we  detained  certain  saluages 
sent  his  daughter  a  child  of  tenne  yeares  old,  which  not 
only  for  feature,  countenance,  and  proportion  much  ex- 
ceedeth  any  of  the  rest  of  his  people  but  for  wit  and  spirit 
the  only  non-pareil  of  his  countrie." 

In  the  same  narrative  Smith  states  that  he  was  treated 
with  kindness  by  Powhatan,  who  wished  him  to  live  in  his 
village,  and  afterwards,  he  adds,  "  hee  sent  me  home  with 
4  men,  one  that  usually  carried  my  Gowne  and  Knapsacke 
after  me,  two  other  loded  with  bread,  and  one  to  accom- 
panie  me  "  (Deane's  edition  of  True  Relation,  p.  38). 

In  1608  Smith  was  sent  to  England  to  answer  some  mis 
demeanors,  and  never  again  lived  in  Virginia;  but  in  his 
General  History,  published  more  than  fifteen  years  after 
wards,  he  transforms  Powhatan  to  a  savage  wretch  ready 
to  beat  out  his  brains,  until  "Pocahontas  the  king's  dearest 
daughter  got  his  head  into  her  arms,  and  laid  her  owne 
upon  his  to  saue  him  from  death  "  (Smithes  History,  folio, 
1632,  p.  49),  which  statement  is  perpetuated  in  a  sculpture 
by  Capellano,  which  may  be  seen  over  one  of  the  doors  of 
the  Capitol  at  Washington.  *  *  * 

The  extravagant  statements  of  John  Smith  in  the  General 
History,  first  published  in  1624,  called  forth  criticism,  and 
he  was  charged  with  having  written  too  much  and  done  too 
little.  In  the  preface  to  his  Travels  and  Adventures,  pub  - 
lished  in  1629,  he  states  that  "they  have  acted  my  fatal 
tragedies  upon  the  stage,  and  racked  my  relations  at  their 
pleasure  ". 

Ben  Jonson  noticed  his  heroine,  Pocahontas,  in  the  Staple 
of  News,  first  played  in  1625.  The  following  dialogue  there 
occurs  between  Picklock  and  Penuyboy  Canter: 

Pick.  ll  A.  tavern's  as  unfit  too  for  a  princess." 

P.  Cant.  "  No,  I  have  known  a  princess  and  a  great  one, 
Come  forth  of  a  tavern." 


158     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY, 

Pick.  "Not  go  in  Sir,  though." 

P.  Cant.  "She  must  go  in,  if  she  came  forth:  the  blessed 
Pokahontas,  as  the  historian  calls  her, 
And  great  king's  daughter  of  Virginia, 
Hath  been  in  womb  of  tavern." 

Smith  in  his  dedication  of  the  General  History  to  the 
Duchess  of  Richmond,  says:  "In  the  utmost  of  many  ex 
tremities  that  blessed  Pokahontas,  the  great  king's  daughter 
of  Virginia  oft  saved  my  life." 


THE  LEGEND  OF  SCARLET  DOVE. 
(From  tf  The  History  of  Minnesota."} 

Eagle-Eye,  the  son  of  a  great  war  prophet,  who  lived 
more  than  one  hundred  years  ago,  was  distinguished  for 
bravery.  Fleet,  athletic,  symmetrical,  a  bitter  foe  and  warm 
friend,  he  was  a  model  Dahkotah.  In  the  ardour  of  his 
youth,  his  affections  were  given  to  one  who  was  also  attract 
ive,  named  Scarlet  Dove. 

A  few  moons  after  she  had  became  an  inmate  of  his  lodge, 
they  descended  the  Mississippi,  with  a  hunting  party,  and 
proceeded  east  of  Lake  Pepin. 

One  day,  while  Eagle-Eye  was  hid  behind  some  bushes, 
watching  for  deer,  the  arrow  of  a  comrade  found  its  way 
through  the  covert,  into  his  heart.  With  only  time  to  lisp 
the  name  Scarlet  Dove,  he  expired. 

For  a  few  days  the  widow  mourned  and  cut  her  flesh,  and 
then,  with  the  silence  of  woe,  wrapping  her  beloved  in 
skins,  she  placed  him  on  a  temporary  burial  scaffold,  and 
sat  beneath. 

When  the  hunting  party  moved,  she  carried  on  her  own 
back  the  dead  body  of  Eagle- Eye.  At  eve*ry  encampment  she 
laid  the  body  up  in  the  manner  already  mentioned,  and  sat 
down  to  watch  it  and  mourn. 

When  she  had  reached  the  Minnesota  river,  a  distance  of 
more  than  a  hundred  miles,  Scarlet  Dove  brought  forks  and 
poles  from  the  woods,  and  erected  a  permanent  scaffold  on 
that  beautiful  hill  opposite  the  site  of  Fort  Snelling,  in  the 
rear  of  the  little  town  of  Mendota,  which  is  known  by  the 


EDWARD    D.    NEILL.  159 

name  of  Pilot  Knob.  Having  adjusted  the  remains  of  the  un 
fortunate  object  of  her  love  upon  this  elevation,  -with  the 
strap  by  which  she  had  carried  her  precious  burden,  Scarlet 
Dove  hung  herself  to  the  scaffold  and  died.  Her  highest 
hope  was  to  meet  the  beloved  spirit  of  her  Eagle-Eye,  in  the 
world  of  spirits. 


OANKTAYHEE. 

(From  tf  The  History  of  Minnesota.") 

The  Jupiter  Maximus  of  the  Dahkotahs  is  styled  Oank- 
tayhee.  As  the  ancient  Hebrews  avoided  speaking  the 
name  of  Jehovah,  so  they  dislike  to  speak  the  name  of  this 
deity,  but  call  him  "  Taku-wakan  ",  or  "That  which  is 
supernatural".  This  mighty  god  manifests  himself  as  a 
large  ox.  His  eyes  are  as  large  as  the  moon.  He  can  haul 
in  his  horns  and  tail,  or  he  can  lengthen  them  as  he  pleases. 
From  him  proceed  invisible  influences.  In  his  extremities 
reside  mighty  powers. 

He  is  said  to  have  created  the  earth.  Assembling  in 
grand  conclave  all  of  the  aquatic  tribes,  he  ordered  them 
to  bring  up  dirt  from  beneath  the  water,  and  proclaimed 
death  to  the  disobedient.  The  beaver  and  others  forfeited 
their  lives.  At  last  the  muskrat  went  beneath  the  waters, 
and,  after  a  long  time,  appeared  at  the  surface  nearly  ex 
hausted,  with  some  dirt.  From  this  Oanktayhee  fashioned 
the  earth  into  a  large  circular  plain. 

The  earth  being  finished,  he  took  a  deity,  one  of  his  own 
offspring,  and  grinding  him  to  powder,  sprinkled  it  upon 
the  earth,  and  this  produced  many  worms.  The  worms 
were  then  collected  and  scattered  again.  They  matured 
into  infants;  and  these  were  then  collected  and  scattered 
and  became  full-grown  Dahkotahs. 

The  bones  of  the  mastodon,  the  Dahkotahs  think,  are 
those  of  Oanktayhee,  and  they  preserve  them  with  the 
greatest  care  in  the  medicine  bag.  It  is  the  belief  of  the 
Dahkotahs  that  the  Rev.  R.  Hopkins,  who  was  drowned  at 
Traverse  des  Sioux,  on  July  4th,  1851,  was  killed  by 
Oanktayhee,  who  dwells  in  the  waters,  because  he  had 
preached  against  him. 


160     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

This  deity  is  supposed  to  have  a  dwelling-place  beneath 
the  falls  of  Saint  Anthony.  A  few  years  ago,  by  the  sudden 
breaking  up  of  a  gorge  of  ice,  a  cabin  near  Fort  Snelling, 
containing  a  soldier,  was  swept  off  by  the  flood.  The 
Dahkotahs  supposed  that  this  great  god  was  descending  the 
river  at  the  time,  and,  being  hungry,  devoured  the  man. 


MRS.  SARAH  A.  DORSET. 

"Dorsey?  Mrs.  Dorsey —  did  you  say?  Never 
heard  of  her.  What  books  did  she  write?  —  Oh, 
yes,  yes  —  she's  the  lady  who  gave  Jeff  Davis 
Beauvoir,  his  last  home."  This  was  said  by  one 
of  the  most  intelligent  gentlemen  I  met  in  New 
Orleans  in  December  of  last  year. 

My  curiosity  was  piqued  ;  within  the  next  few 
days  I  mentioned  Mrs.  Dorsey  to  several  other 
persons,  of  both  sexes;  always  the  same  identi 
fication  —  "  the  lady  who  gave  Jeff  Davis  Beau 
voir."  With  the  first  breath,  with  the  last 
breath,  the  people  of  New  Orleans  tell  you  that 
story.  They  know  her  for  that  action  —  and  not 
by  the  books  she  has  written.  And  yet,  some  of 
Mrs.  Dorsey's  books  are  worthy  of  consideration. 
Assuredly,  one  is  eminently  so.  What  book  has 
ever  given  us,  who  are  not  of  the  South,  a  more 
intimate  and  realistic  picture  of  the  South  after 
the  Civil  War,  —  of  what  defeat  has  meant  to  the 
South,  than  has  Mrs.  Dorsey's  "Recollections 
of  Henry  Watkins  Allen  ",  Louisiana's  War  Gov 
ernor,  who  —  all  politics  aside  —  was  a  grand  and 
noble  man? 

Let  the  people  of  New  Orleans  correct  them 
selves :  Mrs.  Dorsey  is  not  "  the  lady  who  gave 
Jeff  Davis  Beauvoir  ";  she  is  "  the  woman  who 
wrote  the  life  of  Governor  Allen  ". 

11  (161) 


162     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Sarah  A.  Ellis  was  born  in  Natchez,  Missis 
sippi,  February  16,  1829.  She  received  a  good 
education  in  her  youth,  and  then  traveled  abroad 
extensively.  She  was  the  niece  of  Catharine 
Anne  Warfield,  the  popular  authoress,  and  be- 
canie  her  literary  executor  after  her  death.  On 
January  the  19th,  1853,  she  married  Samuel  W. 
Dorsey  of  Ellicott's  Mills,  Maryland,  who  at  that 
time  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Ten- 
sas  Parish,  Louisiana.  Mr.  Dorsey  was  consid 
erably  older  than  she  was,  but  being  an  educated, 
accomplished  and  wealthy  gentleman,  and  of  high 
social  standing,  the  union  proved  to  be  a  happy 
one.  Mr.  Dorsey  died  in  1875. 

Mrs.  Dorsey  had  no  children  and  devoted  the 
larger  part  of  her  time  to  study  and  travel.  She 
was  well  versed  in  several  modern  languages,  as 
well  as  in  Latin  and  Greek,  and  is  said  to  have 
corresponded  during  many  years  with  Carlyle, 
Herbert  Spencer,  the  Kosettis,  and  other  English 
celebrities,  besides  several  French,  German,  and 
Italian  scholars. 

Besides  her  "  Life  "  of  Governor  Allen,  Mrs. 
Dorsey  published  several  novels  :  "  Lucia  Dare  " 
(New  York,  1867);  "Agnes  Graham"  (New 
York);  "  Panola;  a  Tale  of  Louisiana  "  (Phil 
adelphia,  1877),  and  "  Athalie".  These  books 
are  very  disappointing.  A  stranger  in  New  Or 
leans  hears  so  much  about  Mrs.  Dorsey 's  high 
education  and  great  abilities,  that  he  turns  to  her 
novels  with  expectations  that  prove  to  be  only 
disappointments.  Alike  Margaret  Fuller,  she  was 


MRS.     SARAH    A.     DORSET.  163 

no  doubt  greater  a,s  a  conversationalist  than  as  an 
authoress.  There  is  only  one  of  her  books  that 
is  worthy  of  her  reputation. 


GOVERNOR  ALLEN  GOING  INTO  EXILE. 

(From  «  Recollections  of  Henry  Watkins  Allen,"  etc.) 
The  people  wept  over  Allen's  departure.  They  followed 
him  with  tears  and  blessings,  ar:d  would  have  forced  on  him 
more  substantial  tokens  of  regard  than  words  of  regret. 
They  knew  he  had  no  money,  his  noble  estates  had  long  been 
in  possession  of  the  enemy,  hundreds  of  hogsheads  of  sugar 
had  been  carried  off  from  his  sugar-house;  his  house  was 
burned,  his  plantation,  a  wide  waste  of  fallow-fields,  grown 
up  in  weeds.  He  had  nothing  but  Confederate  and  State 
money.  One  gentleman  begged  him  to  accept  $5,000,  in  g  )ld, 
as  a  loan,  since  he  refused  it  as  a  gift.  Allen  accepted  five 
hundred.  With  this  small  amount,  his  ambulance  and  rid 
ing-horse,  he  started  to  Mexico.  His  journey  through  Texas 
was  a  complete  ovation,  instead  of  a  hegira.  Everybody, 
rich  and  poor,  vied  with  each  other  in  offering  him  attention 
and  the  most  eager  hospitality.  The  roof  was  deemed  hon 
ored  that  sheltered  his  head  for  the  night.  He  stopped  at 
Crockett,  to  say  "  goodbye  ".  *  *  * 

This  conversation  occurred  whilst  we  were  returning  from 
a  visit  to  Gov.  Moore's  family.  I  had  driven  over  to  their 
cottage  in  a  buggy,  to  invite  them  to  join  us  at  dinner.  Allen 
had  accompanied  me.  *  *  *  These  exiles  were  personal 
friends  of  mine.  I  suffered  in  parting  with  them:  for  some 
I  suffer  still  —  for  those  who  are  still  absent  and  still  living! 
Everything  was  very  quiet  and  still,  nothing  audible  but  the 
low  murmur  of  our  voices,  when  suddenly  arose  from  the 
prairie  beyond  us,  one  of  the  beautiful,  plaintive,  cattle  or 
"salt"  songs  of  Texas.  These  wild,  simple  melodies  had 
a  great  attraction  for  me.  I  would  often  check  my  horse  on 
the  prairies,  and  keep  him  motionless  for  a  half-hour,  listen 
ing  to  these  sweet,  melancholy  strains.  Like  all  cattle-calls 
they  are  chiefly  minor.  I  thought  them  quite  as  singular  and 
oeautiful  as  the  Swiss  Eanz  des  Vaches,  or  the  Swedish  cat- 


164     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

tie-calls.  They  consisted  of  a  few  chanted  words,  with  a 
cadence  and  along  yodel.  Sometimes  the  yodling  was  aided 
by  what  the  Texan  boys  call  "  quills  "  —  two  or  more  pipes 
made  of  reed  cane  (arundinaria  macrosperma') .  This  made  a 
sort  of  limited  syrinx,  which  give  wonderful  softness  and 
flute-like  clearness  to  the  prolonged  tones  of  the  voice,  as  it 
was  breathed  into  them.  The  boy  sang  one  of  his  saddest 
"  calls  ".  I  looked  to  see  if  Gov.  Allen  had  noticed  the  mel 
ancholy  words  and  mournful  air.  I  saw  he  had.  He  ceased 
talking^  and  his  face  was  very  grave.; 
The  boy  sang: 

"  Going  away  to  leave  you, 

Ah-a-a-a  — 
Going  away  to  leave  you, 

Ah-a-a-a  — 
Going  away  to-morrow, 

Ah-a-a-a  — 
Going  away  to-morrow, 

Ah-a-a-a  — 
Never  more  to  see  you, 

Ah-a-a-a  — 
Never  more  to  see  you, 
Ah-a-a-a  —  " 

This  had  always  been  an  affecting  strain  to  me ;  it  was 
doubly  so  under  the  existing  circumstances.  The  song  died 
mournfully  away.  We  drove  on  in  silence  for  a  few  mo 
ments.  Gov.  Allen  roused  himself,  with  a  sigh:  "That 
boy's  song  is  very  sad." 

"  Yes,  but  he  sings  it  very  frequently.  He  knows  nothing 
about  you.  It  is  neither  a  prophecy  nor  intended  to  be 
sympathetic,  —  you  need  not  make  special  application  of  it!" 

*"  No ;  but  it  may  prove  a  strange  coincidence." 

"  You  shan't  say  that.  I  won't  listen  to  such  a  thought. 
You'll  only  spend  a  pleasant  summer  traveling  in  Mexico. 
We'll  see  you  at  the  opera  in  New  Orleans  next  winter." 

"  I  hope  so." 

Our  conversation  reverted  now  to  past  years.  Allen 
spoke  of  his  early  friends  among  my  relatives;  of  his  whole 
career  in  Louisiana;  of  his  wife,  with  tenderness,  —  (she 
had  died  in  1850),  of  her  beauty  and  her  love  for  him.  His 
future  was  so  uncertain  —  that  he  scarcely  alluded  to  that  — 


MRS.    SARAH    A.    DORSET.  165 

never  with  any  hopefulness.  It  was  only  in  the  past  that  he 
seemed  to  find  repose  of  spirit.  The  present  was  too  sad, 
the  future  too  shadowy  for  any  discussion  of  either.  *  *  * 
During  this  last  visit,  I  never  renewed  my  arguments 
against  his  quitting  the  country.  I  had  already  said  and 
written  all  that  I  had  to  say  on  that  subject.  *  *  * 

Besides,  our  minds  were  in  such  a  confused  state,  we 
scarcely  knew  what  any  of  us  had  to  expect  from  the  vic 
torious  party,  or  what  would  become  of  our  whole  people. 
So  that  in  urging  him  not  to  leave  Louisiana,  I  argued  more 
from  instinct,  which  revolted  at  anything  like  an  abandon 
ment  of  a  post  of  duty,  and  from  a  temperament  which 
always  sought  rather  to  advance  to  meet  and  defy  danger, 
than  to  turn  and  avoid  it,  than  from  any  well-grounded  as 
surance  or  hope  of  security  for  him,  or  any  one  else.  I  felt 
more  anxiety  for  his  reputation,  for  his  fame,  than  for  his 
life  and  freedom.  His  natural  instincts  would  have  induced 
similar  views;  but  his  judgment  and  feelings  were  over 
powered  by  the  reasonings  and  entreaties  of  his  friends. 


JULIA  AMANDA  WOOD. 

Julia  Amanda  Sargent,  well  known  in  Minne 
sota  as  "  Minnie  Mary  Lee  ",  was  born  in  New 
London,  New  Hampshire,  in  1830.  Her  parents 
removing  to  Covington,  Kentucky,  she  was  not 
long  afterwards  married  to  William  Henry 
Wood,  a  practicing  lawyer  of  that  place.  This 
was  in  1849;  two  years  later,  they  removed  to 
Sauk  Rapids,  Minnesota,  where  Mr.  Wood,  the 
following  year,  received  the  appointment  of 
government  Land  Receiver. 

In  18(50,  the  Woods  edited  a  weekly  newspaper 
called,  The  New  Era.  Mrs.  Wood  has  con 
tributed  generously  to  Eastern  ladies'  magazines 
like  Arthur's  and  Godey's  Lady's  Book,  and 
Jane  Gray  Swisshelm's  paper,  The  St.  Cloud 
Visitor.  Mrs.  Swisshelm  says  that  Mrs.  Wood's 
married  life  was  a  very  happy  one  —  that  she 
"  was  one  of  the  very  few  literary  women  who 
are  happy  in  their  domestic  relations." 

"  Minnie  Mary  Lee  "  was  an  indefatigable 
worker,  and  produced  an  astonishing  amount  of 
poems,  stories,  sketches  and  novels.  She  began 
writing  very  early  in  life,  but  did  not  publish  in 
bookform  until  she  was  in  her  forties.  "  Myrrha 
Lake;  or,  Into  the  Light  of  Catholicity  "  (New 
York, about  1871;  2ndedition,  1873);  "  Hubert's 
Wife:  a  Story  for  You"  (Baltimore,  1875); 
(166) 


JULIA    AMANDA    WOOD.  167 


. . 


The  Brown  House  at  Duffield :  n  Story  of 
Life  without  and  within  the  Fold"  (Baltimore, 
1877);  "The  Story  of  Annette  and  her  Five 
Dolls:  Told  to  dear  little  Catholic  Children" 
(Baltimore,  1880),  I  believe,  is  all  that  she  left 
the  reading  world  in  bookforin.  Minnesota  peo 
ple  tell  you  that  "  she  had  an  intense  love  for 
Nature  ' ' .  Her  poems,  however,  are  never  nature 
poems.  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  the 
year  of  her  death.  I  remember  of  reading  poems 
of  hers  in  the  St.  Paul  Pioneer-Press  in  the 
eighties. 


MOONBEAMS. 

{From  Arthurs  Home  Magazine.  1859.} 
These  gentle  moonbeams,  falling  in 

Upon  my  shadowed  floor, 
Oh,  how  they  fill  my  dreaming  heart 

With  scenes  that  are  no  more. 
They  have  their  thrilling  language  low, 

Like  all  of  God's  sweet  things, 
That  to  the  loneliest  saddened  hour 

A  joy  and  beauty  brings. 

Like  soft  blue  skies,  and  purple  clouds, 

Like  birds,  and  like  the  flowers, 
They  gently  carry  me  away 

To  earlier,  sweet  home-hours, 
When  these  same  silver  moonbeams  played 

Upon  the  wall  and  floor, 
Where  all  our  household  band  shall  meet. 

Shall  love,  in  life,  no  more. 

They  used  to  paint  within  my  room, 

The  leaves  upon  the  trees. 
That  floated  in  their  lustrous  light, 

Like  ships  upon  the  seas; 


168     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY, 

My  childish  fancy  freighted  them 

With  wealth  of  untold  toys, 
That  brought  me,  then,  as  dreams  have  since, 

Unnumbered  hopes  and  joys. 

Or  when  the  gentle  winds  awoke 

Some  music  on  the  pane, 
They  were  my  fays,  whose  flying  feet 

Won  slumber  to  my  brain; 
And  then  I  dreamed  again  the  dreams, 

I  saw  the  mellow  light, 
So  that  to  me,  my  brightest  day 

Was  what  we  call  the  night. 

I  often  used  to  fondly  long 

For  coming  of  the  eve  ; 
For  coming  of  the  visions  fair 

The  moonbeams  love  to  weave; 
How  sweetly  I  would  glide  away, 

In  gentle,  rosy  dreams, 
The  leaves,  my  ships,  a-dancing 

Amid  the  silver  beams. 

Oh,  I  love,  I  love  the  moonbeams ; 

While  I  sit  here  alone, 
They  are  floating  on  the  dear  old  wall, 

Within  my  early  home ; 
And  I  wonder,  Oh,  I  wonder 

Who  gazes  on  them  now, 
And  if  they  bless  some  dreamer  there, 

As  they  bless  my  heart  and  brow. 

Their  pale,  pale  light  is  resting  still 

Upon  the  flowery  sod, 
'Neath  which  the  cherished  idol  lies 

I  loved  more  than  my  God. 
The  little  one  of  golden  hair  — 

Alas  my  eye  grows  dim, 
And  my  wrung  heart  turns  wild  to  prayer, 

Whene'er  I  think  of  him. 

Gently,  gently-gliding  moonbeams 

I  love  your  spirit  well ; 
I  bless  you  for  your  presence, 

Your  soft,  your  fairy  spell ; 


JULIA    AMANDA    WOOD.  169 

While  radiance,  from  the  glory  born, 

Is  o'er  the  Present  cast, 
Ye  wrap  me  in  sweet  thoughts  and  dreams 

Delicious,  of  the  Past. 


THERE  IS  A  LIGHT. 
There  is  a  light  within  my  soul, 

A  beauteous  gush  of  light, 
That  lately  o'er  me  sweetly  stole, 

Most  wondrously  and  bright  — 
That  wraps  me  in  delicious  gleams 

Most  purely,  softly,  tender, 
Than  e'er  came  o'er  me  in  the  dreams 

That  had  their  dawn  in  splendor, 

'T  is  not  the  sun,  or  moon,  or  stars, 

All  glorious  though  they  be; 
It  breaketh  not  from  the  world  afar 

This  blessed  light  on  me  — 
It  is  more  soft,  subduing,  clear, 

Entrancing  in  its  flow, 
Most  like  that  light  of  spirit-sphere 

Which  dawneth  not  below. 

Clouds  never  lower  in  that  pure  clime, 

The  rain- drops  never  fall, 
But  steadily  and  ever  shines 

That  light  most  bright  of  all. 
It  is  the  light  that  each  fond  heart 

Doth  kindle  by  its  love, 
And  who  shall  say  this  is  not  part 

Of  all  the  bliss  above? 

0  earth,  and  sea,  and  sky,  and  air, 
Are  lighter  for  this  light, 

And  even  birds  and  flowers  fair 
Are  more  than  ever  bright. 

1  tremble  in  its  presence  sweet 
That  every  ill  doth  banish, 

Lest  'mid  all  things  so  frail  and  fleet, 
This,  too,  should  darkly  vanish. 


170     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY 

Thou  chosen  one,  who  giv'st  this  light 

O'er  all  my  being  thrown, 
Without  each  day  is  darkest  night, 

Thou  —  beautiful  —  my  own  — 
O  wilt  thou,  in  the  coming  years, 

Be  my  soul  light  as  now, 
And  all  the  way  through  smiles  and  tears, 

Give  sunshine  to  my  brow? 


LOGAN  URIAH  RE  AVIS. 

Logan  Uriah  Rcavis  (and  not  Uric  as  is  gen 
erally  stated)  was  born  in  Sangamon  Bottom, 
Mason  County,  Illinois,  March  26,  1831.  He 
received  a  common  school  education,  then  taught 
school  for  four  years.  He  next  removed  to 
Bcardstown,  Illinois,  and  became  connected  with 
the  Gazette  of  that  place.  He  afterwards  bought 
out  his  associate  and  changed  the  name  of  the 
paper  to  The  Central  lUinoian  and  published  it 
until  18(><),  when  he  sold  it  and  removed  to  St. 
Louis. 

In  St.  Louis,  in  1883,  he  began  the  publication 
of  a  weekly,  The  American  Tribune,  which  ap 
peared  regularly  during  a  few  months,  and  after 
several  suspensions  and  temporary  resumptions 
of  publication,  was  finally  abandoned.  Mr.  Reavis 
was  haunted  with  the  idea  that  St.  Louis  was 
destined  to  become  the  capitol  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  he  was  foreordained  to  bring 
about  its  removal  from  Washington;  so  he  spent 
several  years  publishing  books  and  pamphlets  on 
the  subject,  and  lecturing  pretty  much  anywhere 
where  anybody  would  listen  to  him  —  even  in 
England,  where  he  made  two  lecturing  tours. 
Another  hobby  of  Mr.  Reavis'  was  his  intense 
admiration  of  Horace  Greeley,  which  he  carried 
even  to  the  extent  of  out-Heroding  his  slovenly 

(171) 


172    LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

appearance.  What  with  his  flaming  beard,  his 
baggish  clothes,  his  dirty  shirts,  and  his  lame 
ness,  he  was  a  noted  character  on  the  streets  of 
St.  Louis  in  the  seventies  and  eighties.  His 
loud,  assertive  ways,  furthermore,  made  him 
many  enemies. 

He  published:  "The  New  Republic",  (St. 
Louis,  1867);  "St.  Louis  the  Future  Great 
City  of  the  World"  (St.  Louis,  1867);  "A 
Change  of  National  Empire,  or  Arguments  for 
the  Removal  of  the  National  Capitol  from  Wash 
ington  to  the  Mississippi  Valley"  (St.  Louis, 
1869) ;  this  book  won  him  the  soubriquet  of  the 
"  Capitol  Mover",  which  ever  afterwards  clung 
to  him.  "  A  Representative  Life  of  Horace 
Greeley  "  (New  York,  1872),  the  best  of  his 
works ;  it  is  generally  believed  to  have  been 
largely  the  work  of  the  late  D.  H.  McAdam,  an 
able  writer  on  the  local  press;  "  Thoughts  for 
Young  Men  and  Women  of  America"  (1873); 
"  The  Life  of  General  William  S.  Harney  "  (St. 
Louis,  1875);  "The  Railway  and  River  Sys 
terns  "  (St.  Louis,  1879),  and  two  pamphlets, 
"  The  North  and  South  "  (St.  Louis,  1878),  and 
"  An  International  Railway  to  the  City  of  Mex 
ico  "  (St.  Louis,  1879).  Several  of  these  works 
were  mere  compilations. 

Late  in  life  he  married  the  poetess,  Rebecca 
Morrow,  who  was  much  younger  than  himself. 
He  died  in  St.  Louis,  March"  26,  1889.  The 
national  capitol  is  still  at  Washington. 


LOGAN    URIAH    REAVIS.  173 


THE  PACIFIC  COAST. 

In  mountain  grandeur,  mijestic  water  falls,  beautiful 
landscapes,  pure  air  and  wild  romance,  upon  which  the  imag 
ination  can  feast ;  the  Pacific  slope  far  transcends  the  country 
of  the  Alps,  the  Apennines,  the  ^Egian  and  Adriatic,  while 
its  flowing  waters,  its  gushing  streams  give  forth  a  purer 
inspiration  than  comes  from  Caucassian  caves  and  Pierian 
springs.  Then,  such  a  country,  with  such  natural  advan 
tages  for  bringing  out  the  higher  nature  of  man,  is  destined, 
at  no  distant  period,  to  become  the  birthplace  and  residence 
of  the  highest  civilization  in  the  world.  Not  only  will  it 
bring  forth  a  higher  order  of  a  chivalrous  populace,  with  a 
society  embellished  with  wealth  and  refinement,  and  highly 
skilled  in  the  arts  and  pursuits  of  life,  but  it  will  bring  forth 
greater  poets,  seers,  sages,  philosophers  and  statesmen  than 
ever  before  walked  upon  the  earth  —  men  before  whose 
genius  and  verse,  Plato,  Homer,  Dante,  Shakespeare,  Swe- 
denborg,  Davis,  Newton,  Hamilton,  Webster,  Poe  and  Par 
ker,  would  bow  with  reverence  as  the  citizen  does  to  the 
sage.  But  a  few  years  more,  and  the  charms  will  be  lost 
from  Saratoga,  the  White  Hills,  Key  East,  Long  Branch  and 
other  places  of  fashion  and  fame  on  the  Atlantic  side  of  the 
continent,  to  be  found  amid  the  romantic  scenery  of  the 
Sierra  Nevadas  and  upon  the  golden  shores  of  the  Pacific. 
Persons  of  wealth,  who  seek  health,  pleasure  and  refinement, 
will  journey  westward  to  the  Geyser,  Soda,  Carson  and 
Steamer  springs.  Larger  and  grander  will  be  the  capacities, 
demands  and  uses,  for  summer  resorts  amid  the  beautiful 
scenery  of  the  Pacific  mountains.  The  genii  of  art,  science, 
and  literature  will  plant  their  rosy  grottoes  on  the  evening 
side  of  the  continent.  Granting,  then,  that  such  a  trans 
cendent  growth  of  the  mental  and  spiritual  nature  of  man, 
is  destined  to  be  the  ripe  fruit  of  the  mountain  system  of  the 
Pacific  side  of  the  continent,  what  must  be  its  influence  for 
good,  upon  the  future  millions  of  our  people,  destined  to 
inhabit  this  country  ar.d  be  impelled  to  deeds  of  honor,  of 
happiness  and  fame?  If  man  thus  far  in  his  career  upon  the 
earth  has  been  guided  and  directed  through  the  ages  by 
mental  and  spiritual  minded  teachers,  who  here  and  there 


174     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

have  arisen  along  the  highway  of  time,  what  must  be  the 
beneficent  influence  of  a  whole  constellation  of  more  exalted 
intellects  —  greater  poets,  greater  philosophers,  greater 
teachers  and  greater  spiritual  minded  men,  succeeding  each 
other  on  this  continent,  and  treading  the  misty  mazes  of  life, 
where  mind  communes  with  the  infinite  and  illumines  the 
intellect  of  man  with  wisdom  and  knowledge  brought  down 
from  the  Higher  Life? 


THE  GRAVE  OF  BENTON. 
(From  the  Inland  Monthly .  1SS2.) 

To-day,  I  visited  a  strange  city,  one  which  my  eyes  had 
never  before  beheld,  and  yet  I  know  that  my  friends  and  fel 
low-citizens  were  constantly  going  to  and  from  that  city. 
It  is  a  city  of  the  dead.  Bellefontaine  Cemetery,  where  from 
out  this  living  human  hive  friends  and  lovers  have  "  thither 
gone"  from  the  palace  to  the  mausoleum. 

Bellefontaine  Cemetery  is  a  growing  city.  It  is  beauti 
fully  situated,  and  its  attractions  readily  awaken  in  the  vis 
itor  a  strange  delight,  and  especially  when  a  joyous  spring 
day  gives  it  life  and  beauty.  The  town  site  of  the  Necrop 
olis  is  beautiful,  and  the  new  residents  who  are  constantly 
going  there  to  dwell  add  to  the  adornment  and  solemnity  of 
the  city. 

But  my  visit  to  that  strange  city  was  for  seeing  the  tomb 
of  Benton.  This  was  in  compliance  to  a  determination  of 
many  months  standing,  and  its  accomplishment  was  not 
satisfactory.  A  stranger  in  the  city  I  was  compelled  to  in 
quire  for  his  place  of  abode.  I  was  told  at  the  gate  that  his 
grave  had  no  adornment,  and  was  only  marked  by  a  plain 
stone.  When  I  had  well  entered  the  city  I  began  to  inquire 
for  the  object  of  my  visit,  as  well  as  to  go  in  search  of  it. 
After  repeated  inquiries,  I  could  find  no  visitor  who  knew 
where  the  grave  was;  and  having  given  up  in  despair  and 
about  to  leave  the  city,  I  met  an  attendant,  who,  after  re 
peated  inquiry,  was  enabled  to  find  the  grave  of  the  great  Mis 
souri  statesman;  and  to  my  astonishment  it,  still  more  than 
the  scarcity  of  the  inscriptions  on  the  tombs,  was  an  object 
that  excited  regret.  In  no  way  is  it  becoming  the  character 


LOGAN    URIAH    REAVIS.  175 

and  greatness  of  the  man  whose  earthly  remains  moulder 
beneath  in  the  bosom  of  the  Mother  earth.  In  no  way  does 
it  reflect  the  respect  which  the  living  have  for  the  dead. 

Ye  people  of  Missouri,  ye  citizens  of  St.  Louis,  ye  who 
once  admired  the  living,  and  ye  who  do  not  envy  the  dead, 
go  look  at  the  grave  of  Benton,  and  ask  why  it  should  be 
shrouded  in  obscurity  —  why  is  it  that  he  who  gave  laws  to 
you,  and  to  your  fathers  before  many  of  you  were  born,  is 
so  neglected  among  the  graves  of  your  friends?  His  name 
still  lives  in  the  history  of  this  country,  and  will  out-live  the 
polished  marble;  why  do  you  neglect  him? 


IGNATIUS  DONNELLY. 

Ignatius  Donnelly  is  probably  the  best  known 
writer  Minnesota  can  claim.  He  has  published  a 
number  of  books,  but,  somehow,  he  has  always 
narrowly  escaped  giving  the  world  a  really  great 
book.  He  had  originality,  inventive  power,  and 
a  good  command  of  language,  but  his  books  are 
not  over-interesting.  Not  that  he  lacks  learn 
ing,  not  that  his  themes  were  not  of  high  port  - 
but  simply  because  he  had  not  the  genius  of 
absorbing  his  reader's  attention  and  carrying  him 
on  with  him,  page  after  page,  even  unconsciously 
to  himself.  Besides,  the  majority  of  his  books 
are  imbued  with  many  of  the  new  theories  of  the 
past  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  which  the  sound 
judgment  of  the  majority  of  the  American  peo 
ple  will  never  permit  of  their  practically  adopting. 

Ignatius  Donnelly  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
November  3,  1831.  He  graduated  at  the  Cen 
tral  High  School  in  1849.  He  then  studied  law, 
and  three  years  later,  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
In  1.856,  he  practiced  his  profession  in  St.  Paul, 
and  in  1859,  at  the  early  age  of  a  little  less  than 
twenty-eight,  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor  of  Minnesota.  In  1863,  he  was  elected  to 
the  national  Congress,  and  re-elected  in  1865  and 
1867.  His  services  in  Congress  are  best  remem 
bered  by  his  unswerving  support  of  the  measure 
(176) 


IGNATIUS    DONNELLY.  177 

for  creating  a  National  Bureau  of  Education  and 
his    advocacy    of    the    planting  of    trees  by  the 


government. 


In  1889,  he  failed  at  re-election.  Up  to  this 
time  he  had  been  a  Republican,  but  in  1872,  being 
at  variance  with  his  party  on  national  questions, 
he  actively  supported  Horace  Greeley  for  the 
Presidency  and  became  a  Democrat.  From  1873 
on,  he  served  a  number  of  years  in  both  houses 
of  the  Minnesota  legislature.  Some  years  later, 
he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  Populists,  and  in  1898, 
was  the  candidate  of  the  People's  party  for 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  During  tive 
years  he  published  The  Antimonopolist ,  a  weekly 
paper  in  the  interests  of  the  Greenback  party, 

In  1882,  he  published,  "Atlantis,  the  Antedi 
luvian  World  "  (New  York),  in  which  he  re 
vamped  the  old  theory  of  the  long  lost  island 
of  Atlantis;  "  Ragnarok,  the  Age  of  Fire  and 
Gravel  "  (New  York),  followed  in  1883;  "  The 
Great  Cryptogram"  (Chicago,  1888),  a  ridicu 
lous  contribution  to  the  Shakespeare-Bacon  con 
troversy,  came  next.  His  other  works  are: 
"  Cesar's  Column"  a  visionary  story  (Chicago, 
1890);  "  The  Golden  Bottle",  a  political  novel 
(1892);  and,  "Dr.  Huguet  ".  He  is  also  the 
author  of  a  pamphlet,  "  The  American  People's 
Money".  He  died  in  Minneapolis,  January  1, 
1901.  For  some  years  prior  to  his  death  he 
edited  and  published  The  Refonner,  a  weekly 
paper.  Several  of  his  books  were  published 
under  the  nom-de-plume  of  Edmund  Boisgilbert. 
12 


178    LITERATURE  OF  LOUISIANA  TERRITORY. 


REFORM  NEEDED. 
(From  "  Ctesar's  CoZwmn.") 

I  seek  to  preach  into  the  ears  of  the  able  and  rich  and 
powerful  the  great  truth  that  neglect  of  the  sufferings  of 
their  fellows,  indifference  to  the  great  bond  of  brotherhood 
which  lies  at  the  base  of  Christianity,  and  blind,  brutal  and 
degrading  worship  of  mere  wealth,  must  —  given  time  and 
pressure  enough  —  eventuate  in  the  overthrow  of  society 
and  the  destruction  of  civilization. 

I  come  to  the  churches  with  my  heart  filled  with  the  pro  - 
foundest  respect  for  the  essentials  of  religion;  I  seek  to 
show  them  why  they  have  lost  their  hold  upon  the  poor,  — 
upon  that  vast  multitude,  the  best  beloved  of  God's  king 
dom,  —  and  I  point  out  to  them  how  they  may  regain  it.  I 
tell  them  that  if  Religion  is  to  reassume  her  ancient  station, 
as  crowned  mistress  of  the  souls  of  men,  she  must  stand,  in 
shining  armor  bright,  with  the  serpent  beneath  her  feet,  the 
champion  and  defender  of  mankind  against  all  its  oppres 
sors. 

The  world,  to-day,  clamors  for  deeds,  not  creeds;  for 
bread,  not  dogma;  for  charity,  not  ceremony;  for  love,  not 
intellect. 

Some  will  say  the  events  herein  described  (in  "  Caesar's 
Column  ")  are  absurdly  impossible. 

Who  is  it  that  is  satisfied  with  the  present  unhappy  con 
dition  of  society?  It  is  conceded  that  life  is  a  dark  and 
wretched  failure  for  the  great  mass  of  mankind. 

The  many  are  plundered  to  enrich  the  few-  Vast  combi 
nations  depress  the  price  of  labor  and  increase  the  cost  of 
the  necessaries  of  existence.  The  rich,  as  a  rule,  despise  the 
poor;  and  the  poor  are  coming  to  hate  the  rich.  The  face 
of  labor  grows  sullen;  the  old  tender  Christian  love  is  gone; 
standing  armies  are  formed  on  one  side,  and  great  commun 
istic  organizations  on  the  other;  society  divides  itself  into 
two  hostile  camps;  no  white  flags  pass  from  the  one  to  the 
other.  They  wait  only  for  the  drum-beat  and  the  trumpet 
to  summon  them  to  armed  conflict. 

These  conditions  have  come  about  in  less  than  a  century; 
most  of  them  in  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Multiply  them  by 


IGNATIUS    DONNELLY.  179 

the  years  of  another  century,  and  who  will  say  that  the  events 
I  depict  are  impossible?  There  is  an  acceleration  of  move 
ment  in  human  affairs  even  as  there  is  in  the  operations  of 
gravity.  The  dead  missile  out  of  space  at  last  blazes,  and 
the  very  air  takes  fire.  The  masses  grow  more  intelligent  as 
they  grow  more  wretched;  and  more  capable  of  co-operation 
as  they  become  more  desperate.  The  labor  organizations  of 
to-day  would  have  been  impossible  fifty  years  ago.  And 
what  is  to  arrest  the  flow  of  effect  from  cause?  What  is  to 
prevent  the  coming  of  the  night  if  the  earth  continues  to  re 
volve  on  its  axis?  The  fool  may  cry  out:  "  There  shall  be 
no  night!  "  But  the  feet  of  the  hours  march  unrelenting 
toward  the  darkness. 

In  St.  Paul,  I  was  told  that  Mr.  Donnelly  had 
written  poetry  for  the  Eastern  magazines  while 
he  was  a  young  man,  but  that  none  of  his  poems 
could  be  found.  I  examined  several  volumes  of 
Graham'*,  The  Knickerbocker,  Godeifs,  Ar 
thur's,  and  other  popular  magazines  published  in 
the  early  fifties,  and  found  the  following  in 
Graham's  Magazine  for  April,  1852: 


THE  FOREST  FOUNTAIN. 

Here  the  sinking  sun  hath  broken  through  a  forest  close  as 
night; 

Plashing  all  the  deepened  darkness  with  its  thick  and  wine- 
like  light. 

Shivered  lies  the  broad,  red  sunbeam  slant  athwart  the 
withered  leaf, 

Laughing  back  the  startled  shadows  from  their  high  and 
holy  grief; 

Down  yon  dusk-pool,  slant,  obliquely,  shoots  a  line  like 
sparry  splinter, 

As  the  waking  flush  of  spring-time  lightens  up  the  eyes  in 
winter: 


180     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Dimming  as  it  straineth  downward  melts  the  red  light  of 

the  sun, 
Darkling  pool  and   piercing  beamlet  mingling  whitely  into 

one. 
Fallen  rays,  like  broken  crystals,  spangle  thick  the  shadowy 

ground, 
Ragged  fragments,  glorious  gushes  sca'tered  richly,  redly 

round. 
Where    the   lazy   lilies    languish,   one    intruding  sunbeam 

creeps; 
In  the  arms  of  slumberous  shadow  like  a  child  it  sinks  and 

sleeps; 
And  the   quiet  leaves   around  it  seem  to  think  it  all  their 

own, 

'Mid  the  grass  and  lightened  lilies  sleeping  silent  and  alone. 
Here  the  dew-damp  lingers  longest  mid  the  plushy  mountain 

moss ; 
Here  the  bergamot's    red  blossom  leans   the  stilly  stream 

across; 
Here  the  shade  is  darkly  silent;  here  the  breeze  is  liquid 

cool, 

And  the  very  air  seems  married  to  the  freshness  of  that  pool. 
See,  where  down  its  depths  pellucid,  Nature's  purest  waters 

well, 
Breaking  up  in  curving  current,  wimpled  line  and  bubbly 

swell; 
While  in  swift  and  noiseless  beauty,  through  the  deep  and 

dewy  grass, 
O'er  the  rock  and  down  the  valley,  see  the  hurrying  waters 

pass. 
Oh,  how  dreamy  grow  my  senses,  as  I  couch  me  mid  the 

flowers, 
Oh,  how  still  the  blue  sky  looketh,  oh,  how  noteless  creep 

the  hours; 
Oh,  how  wide  the  silence  seemeth,  not  a  sound  disturbing 

comes, 
Save  a    drowsy,   sleepy  buzzing,  that  around  continuous 

hums; 
And  I  seem  to  float  out  loosely  on  weak  slumber's  languid 

breast, 

With  a  kind  of  half  reluctance  that  sinks  gradually  to  rest. 
Distant  faces  group  around  me,  kindly  eyes  look  in  my  own, 


IGNATIUS    DONNELLY.  181 

And  I  hear,  though  indistinctly,  voices  of  the  lost  and  gone : 
His  whose  bark  went  down  in  tempest;  his  whose  life  and 

death  were  gloom; 
His  whose  hopes  and  young  ambitions  fell  and  faded  on  the 

tomb ; 
Oh,  again  his  earnest  language  breaks  upon  my  dreaming 

ear, 
And  I  catch  the  tones  that  waking  I  shall  never,  never  hear. 


WILLIAM  TOD  HELMUT!!. 

William  Tod  Helnmth,  the  well-known  sur 
geon  and  homeopath  1st,  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
October  30,  1833.  He  was  educated  at  St. 
Timothy's  College,  Baltimore,  and  in  1850  began 
studying  medicine.  He  graduated  in  1853  and 
began  practice  in  Philadelphia,  leaning  towards 
surgery  more  than  towards  medicine.  He  removed 
to  St.  Louis  in  1858  and  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Missouri  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  in 
which  college  he  became  professor  of  anatomy. 
He  was  also  surgeon  of  the  Good  Samaritan  Hos- 

O 

pital.  In  1859,  he  married  a  Miss  Pritchard  of 
St.  Louis.  Later  on,  in  1869,  he  organized  the 
St.  Louis  College  of  Homeopathic  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  of  which  he  became  the  dean  and 
professor  of  surgery,  but  the  following  year  he 
removed  to  New  York  where  he  became  professor 
of  surgery  in  the  Homeopathic  Medical  College 
and  surgeon  to  the  Hahnemann  and  New  York 
Surgical  hospitals. 

He  published  several  medical  and  humorous 
books.  His  first  work  was,  "  Surgery,  and  its 
Adaptation  to  Homeopathic  Practice"  (1855). 
I  am  informed  that  this  book  called  the  attention 
of  the  homeopathic  physicians  of  St.  Louis  to 
him,  and  led  to  his  shortly  afterwards  taking  up 
his  habitation  in  the  Mound  City.  His  other 
(182) 


WILLIAM    TOD    HELMUTH.  183 

books  are:  "Medical  Pomposity";  "How  I 
was  cured  by  a  Female  Physician",  a  poem; 
"Humanity"  and  "With  the  Pousse  Cafe", 
both  in  verse;  and,  "  The  Arts  in  St.  Louis". 
Doctor  Helniuth  died  of  heart  disease,  in  New 
York,  May  15,  1902.  He  was  the  head  surgeon 
of  the  Flower  Hospital  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

He  could  be  very  pleasant,  or  sarcastic,  as  the 
mood  moved  him.  But  he  was  a  kindly,  genial 
gentleman  who  had  little  of  gall  in  his  composi 
tion,  and  more  of  humor  than  his  face  in  its 
calm  dignity  would  lead  one  to  suppose.  I 
remember  him  well  when  he  lived  in  St.  Louis. 
A  slim,  impressive-looking  sort  of  a  man,  always 
well-dressed,  and  with  a  magnificent,  full  beard 
that  could  not  but  attract  attention.  He  had  a 
large  practice  and  was  well  known  about  town. 
He  had  a  reputation  as  a  writer  on  medical 
topics  in  those  days ;  it  was  only  after  he 
removed  to  New  York  that  he  took  to  rhyming. 

Other  books  by  Dr.  Helmuth  are  :  "  Scratches 
of  a  Surgeon"  (Chicago,  1879),  prose  and 
poetry;  "  The  Doctor  Woman,  by  Aiken  Hart"  ; 
"  A  Steamer  Book,  or  a  City  on  the  Sea  "  ;  and 
"  Various  Verses  "  (New  York,  1901),  published 
the  year  before  his  death.  From  this  book 
(Copyrighted,  Boericke  and  Tafel)  I  copy  the 
following : 


184     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


TWO  VIEWS  OF  JAPAN. 

The  Optimistic. 

The  following  lines  were  written  with  the  moonlight 
shining  full  upon  the  Bay  of  Tokio,  after  a  good  dinner  at 
the  Grand  Hotel.  The  writer  had  just  returned  from  a 
delightful  excursion  to  Kamakura,  on  a  beautiful  day  in 
July. 

Oh,  fair  Japan;  Oh,  rare  Japan! 

Thou  land  of  ancient  trees, 
Where  lotos  blossoms  fringe  thy  paths 

And  perfume  every  breeze. 
Where  lillies  bend  their  fragrant  heads 

To  kiss  thy  plashing  streams, 
And  dark-skinn'd  Musuraees,  almond-eyed, 
Wake  long-forgotten  dreams. 

Thy  hills  crown-capp'd  with  sacred  groves 

Inclose  thy  gilded  shrines; 
In  grottos  where  the  iris  blooms 

Droop  sweet  wisteria  vines, 
Mysterious  languors  seem  to  hang 

O'er  mountain,  plain  and  rill ; 
An  unreality  of  life 

Does  all  the  senses  nil. 

Thine  ancient  shrines  to  Buddha  blest, 

With  Shinto's  gilded  spires, 
Proclaim  a  soul-sustaining  rest, 

And  wake  poetic  fires. 
Oh,  sweet  it  is  to  dwell  with  thee! 

"  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  "  — 
Where  beauty,  age  and  mystery 

Combine  themselves  in  one. 

The  Pessimistic. 

These  verses  were  composed  while  the  author  was  lying 
in  bed  at  Miyanoshita,  during  the  drying  of  his  clothes  in 
the  kitchen,  after  five  hours'  exposure  in  a  hurricane  of  rain 
and  wind  (a  portion  of  the  typhoon  of  July  22),  upon  one 


WILLIAM    TOD    HELMUTH.  185 

of  the  highest  passes  in  Japan  (Otometoge).  Discouraged, 
cold,  and  drenched  to  the  skin,  shrivelled  and  dispirited  he 
came  to  the  Fugeia  Hotel,  at  Miyanoshita,  and  thought  in 
his  misery: 

Oh,  haag  Japan ;  Oh,  dang  Japan ! 

A  land  of  gnats  and  fleas, 
Where  noisome  odors  fill  the  air 

And  float  on  every  breeze. 
Where  men  run  naked  in  the  streets, 

Wear  spectacles  for  clothes, 
And  old  and  young  and  rich  and  poor 

Eschew  the  use  of  hose. 

Oh,  land  devoid  of  knives  and  forks, 

Of  tables,  chairs  and  beds! 
Where  women  black  their  teeth  and  shave 

Their  little  babies'  heads  — 
I've  had  enough,  I  have  no  use 

(A  quiet  New  York  man) 
For  all  this  nude  simplicity 

Careering  round  Japan. 

I've  had  enough  of  cloisonne, 

Of  ivory  carvings,  too; 
Of  ancient,  rare  Satsuma  jugs 

(Which  probably  are  new)  ; 
I  hate  the  sight  of  Buddha  fat, 

He's  too  infernal  calm! 
And  temples,  shrines,  red  lacquer  ware 

And  damios,  I  damn! 

Boy,  bring  my  clothes  up  from  the  wash 

As  quickly  as  you  can. 
Sir  Edward  Arnold  writes  a  lot 

Of  bosh  about  Japan. 
I'm  shivering  cold,  I'm  ringing  wet, 

I've  been  an  idle  dreamer; 
To  Yokohama  let  me  get, 

And  there  —  thank  God  —  a  steamer ! 


JAMES  K.  HOSMER. 

Professor  James  K.  Hosmer  was  born  in  North- 
field,  Massachusetts.  While  he  was  very  young, 
his  father,  the  Reverend  Doctor  Hosmer,  moved 
to  Buffalo,  New  York,  to  assume  the  Pastorate  of 
the  Unitarian  church  of  that  city.  Here  the  boy 
grew  up  for  some  years,  then  entered  Harvard 
College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1855.  Fol 
lowing  in  the  footsteps  of  his  venerable  father,  he 
studied  for  the  ministry,  was  ordained,  and  be 
came  the  pastor  of  the  Unitarian  church  at  Deer- 
field,  Massachusetts. 

In  1861,  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  here- 
signed  his  pastorate,  and  enlisted  as  a  common 
private  in  the  52d  Massachusetts  Regiment.  Men 
of  Mr.  Hosmer's  education  and  ability  are  soon 
"  known  at  headquarters",  and  General  Natha 
niel  P.  Banks  —  of  whose  brigade  his  regiment 
formed  a  part  —  offered  him  a  place  on  his  staff, 
which  was  declined.  The  superior  of  his  officers 
in  education,  and,  no  doubt,  in  conduct  and  re 
finement,  he  considered  himself  as  only  "  one  of 
the  corporals  intrusted  with  the  defense  of  the 
colors  of  his  regiment".  And  so,  in  the  ranks, 
he  served  through  the  war.  But,  if  he  refused 
promotion  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  he 
was  predestined  to  promotion  in  the  army  of  the 
Republic  of  Letters.  Before  the  war  was  over 
(186) 


JAMES    K.    HOSMER.  187 

the  corporal  was  an  author.  In  1864,  he  pub 
lished,  "The  Color  Guard:  Being  a  Corporal's 
notes  of  Military  Service  in  the  19th  Arniy 
Corps  "  (Boston,  1864),  and  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  came  "  The  Thinking  Bayonet  ",  a  romance 
of  the  war  (Boston,  1865). 

Shortly  after  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Hosmer  be 
came  a  professor  at  Antioch  College,  and  in  1868 
he  filled  the  chair  on  history  in  the  University  of 
Missouri,  at  Columbia,  Missouri.  From  1870  to 
1888,  he  was  professor  of  German  and  English 
literature  in  Washington  University  of  St.  Louis. 
Since  1888,  he  has  been  the  librarian  of  the  Pub 
lic  Library  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota.  Professor 
Hosmer  has  therefore  resided  in  two  of  the  Louis 
iana  Territory  states,  thirty-six  years,  and  we  sin 
cerely  hope  that  he  will  continue  with  us  another 
thirty-six. 

Professor  Hosmer 's  third  book  was,  "  A  Short 
History  of  German  Literature"  (St.  Louis, 
1878).  A  new  edition  of  this  work  was  issued 
in  New  York,  in  1890.  "  Samuel  Adams,  the 
Man  of  the  Town  Meeting  "  and  "  The  Story  of 
the  Jews  "  appeared  in  1885  (New  York),  and 
were  followed  by:  "  Sir  Harry  Vane"  (Boston, 
1888)  ;  "  A  Short  History  of  Anglo-Saxon  Free 
dom  "  (New  York,  1890)  ;  "  How  Thankful  was 
bewitched  "  (New  York,  1894),  —  a  quaint  and 
charming  romance  of  the  French  and  Indian  in 
vasion  of  Massachusetts  during  Queen  Ann's  War ; 
4t  Thomas  Hutchison  "  (Boston,  1896)  —  a  biog 
raphy  of  the  old  Massachusetts  Governor. 


188     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

During  the  succeeding  five  years,  Professor 
Hosnier  was  silent.  Then  he  turned  his  attention 
to  that  great  section  of  the  United  States  that  had 
been  his  home  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and 
gave  us  "  A  Short  History  of  the  Mississippi  Val 
ley  "  (Boston,  1901)  ;  "  A  History  of  the  Louis 
iana  Purchase  '  '  (New  York,  1902)  ;  and,  an  "  In 
troduction  "  and  "  Index"  for  a  new  edition  of 
"  The  Expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clarke  ",  pub 
lished  in  Chicago,  in  1902. 

"A  History  of  the  Mississippi  Valley"  is  a 
condensed,  well-proportioned  story  of  the  great 
Valley.  After  sketching  its  vastness  and  fitness 
for  a  great  history,  Professor  Hosmer  tells  of  the 
coming  into  it  of  the  Spaniards,  the  French,  and 
the  English  ;  and  describes  the  conflicts  and 
changes  of  control  until  the  Americans  were 
masters  of  the  Valley.  The  narrative  includes 
brilliant  individual  actors,  Coronado,  LaSalle, 
Boone,  George  Rogers  Clarke,  Jackson,  Farra- 
gut  and  Grant;  and  it  embraces  the  immense 
industrial  and  commercial  activities  which  give 
the  Mississippi  Valley  to-day  an  interest  for  the 
world  as  keen  as  it  had  in  its  romantic  days  of 
exploration  and  conquest.  The  book  is  written 
from  full  knowledge  and  with  much  enthusiasm 
and  literary  skill.  "  His  writings  have  not  been 
excelled  in  permanent  worth  by  many  authors  of 
his  generation  in  America",  writes  Mr.  J.  N. 
Larned,  the  author  of  "History  for  Ready 
Reference  ". 


JAMES  K.  HOSMP:R.  189 


BERLIN  IN  PEACEFUL  TIMES. 

(From  The  Atlantic  Monthly .  1871.) 

There  never  was  a  place  with  aspect  more  military  than 
Berlin  even  in  peaceful  times.  In  many  quarters  tower  great 
barracks  for  the  troops.  The  public  memorials  are  almost 
exclusively  in  honor  of  great  soldiers.  There  are  tall  col 
umns,  too,  to  commemorate  victories  or  the  crushing  out  of 
revolutionary  spirit;  rarely,  indeed,  in  comparison,  a  statue 
to  a  man  of  scientific  or  literary  or  artistic  eminence. 
Frederick  sits  among  the  tree-tops  of  Unter  den  Linden, 
and  about  his  pedestal  are  life-size  figures  of  the  men  of  his 
age  whom  Prussia  holds  most  worthy  of  honor.  At  the  four 
corners  ride  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  and  cunning  Prince 
Heinrich,  old  Ziethen  and  fiery  Leydlitz.  Between  are  a 
score  or  more  of  soldiers  of  lesser  note,  only  soldiers, 
spurred  and  sabre-girt  —  except  at  the  very  back;  and  there 
just  where  the  tail  of  Frederick's  horse  droops  over,  stand  — 
whom  think  you?  —  no  other  than  Lessing,  critic  and  poet, 
most  gifted  and  famous;  and  Kant;  peer  of  Plato  and  Bacon, 
one  of  the  most  gifted  brains  of  all  time.  Just  standing 
room  for  them  among  the  hoofs  and  uniforms  at  the  tail  of 
Frederick's  horse! 

Every  third  man  one  meets  in  Berlin  is  a  soldier  on  duty. 
Batteries  of  steel  guns  roll  by  at  any  time,  obedient  to  their 
bugles.  Squadrons  of  Uhlans  in  uniforms  of  green  and  red, 
the  pennons  fluttering  from  the  ends  of  their  lances,  ride  up 
to  salute  the  king.  Each  day  at  noon,  through  the  roar  of 
the  streets,  swells  the  finest  martial  music;  first  a  grand 
sound  of  trumpets,  then  a  deafening  roll  from  a  score  of 
brazen  drums.  A  heavy  detachment  of  infantry  wheels  out 
from  some  barracks,  ranks  of  strong  brown-haired  young 
men  stretching  from  sidewalk  to  sidewalk,  neat  in  every 
thread  and  accroutrement,  with  the  German  gift  for  music 
all,  as  the  stride  tells  wiih  which  they  beat  out  upon  the 
pavement  the  rhythm  of  the  march,  dropping  sections  at  in 
tervals  to  do  the  unbroken  guard  duty  at  the  various  posts. 
Frequently  whole  army  corps  gather  to  manoeuvre  at  the 
vast  parade-ground  by  the  Kreuzberg  in  the  outskirts.  On 
Unter  den  Linden  is  a  strong  square  building,  erected,  after 
the  model  of  a  Roman  fortress,  to  be  the  quarters  of  the 


190     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

main  guard.  The  officers  on  duty  at  Berlin  come  here  daily 
at  noon  to  hear  military  music  and  for  a  half  hour's  talk. 
They  come  always  in  full  uniform,  a  collection  of  the  most 
brilliant  colors,  hussars  in  green,  red,  blue,  and  black,  the 
king's  body-guard  in  white  with  braid  of  yellow  and  silver, 
in  helmets  that  flash  as  if  made  from  burnished  gold,  crested 
with  an  eagle  with  outspread  wings.  The  men  themselves 
are  the  handsomest  one  can  see;  figures  of  the  finest  sym 
metry  and  stature,  trained  by  every  athletic  exei  else,  and  the 
faces  often  so  young  and  beautiful!  Counts  and  barons  are 
there  from  Pomerania  and  old  Brandenburg,  wheie  the 
Prussian  spirit  is  most  intense,  and  no  nobility  is  nobler  or 
prouder.  They  are  blue-eyed  and  fair-haired  descendants 
perhaps  of  the  chieftains  that  helped  Herman  overcome 
Varus,  and  whose  names  may  be  found  five  hundred  years 
back  among  the  Deutsch  Ritters  that  conquered  northern 
Europe  from  heathendom,  and  thence  all  the  way  down  to 
now,  occurring  in  martial  and  princely  connection.  It  is  the 
acme  of  martial  splendor. 

"  But  how  do  you  bear  it  all?  "  you  say  to  your  Prussian 
friend,  with  whom  you  stand  looking  on  at  the  base  of 
Bulow's  statue.  "  Is  not  this  enormous  preparation  for 
bloodshed  something  dreadful?  Then  the  tax  on  the  coun 
try  to  support  it  all,  the  withdrawing  of  such  a  multi 
tude  from  the  employments  of  peace."  Your  friend, 
who  had  been  a  soldier  himself,  answers:  "  We  bear  it  be 
cause  we  must.  It  is  the  price  of  our  existence,  and  we 
have  got  used  to  it;  and,  after  all,  with  the  hardship 
come  great  benefits.  Every  able-bodied  young  Prussian 
must  serve  as  a  soldier,  be  he  noble  or  low  born,  rich  or 
poor.  If  he  cannot  read  or  write,  he  must  learn.  He  must 
be  punctual,  neat,  temperate,  and  so  gets  valuable  habits. 
His  body  is  trained  to  be  strong  and  supple.  Shoemaker 
and  banker's  son,  count,  tailor,  and  farmer,  march  together, 
and  community  of  feeling  comes  about.  The  great  tradi 
tions  of  Prussian  history  are  the  atmosphere  they  breathe, 
and  they  become  patriotic.  The  soldier  must  put  off  marry 
ing,  perhaps  half  forget  his  trade,  and  come  into  life  poor; 
for  who  can  save  on  nine  cents  a  day,  with  board  and 
clothes?  But  it  is  a  wonder  if  he  is  not  a  healthy,  well- 
trained,  patriotic  man."  So  talks  your  Prussian;  and 
however  much  of  a  peace-man  you  may  be,  you  cannot  help 
owning  there  is  some  truth  in  it. 


WILLIAM  T.  HARRIS. 

William  Torrey  Harris  was  born  in  North  Kill- 
ingly,  Connecticut,  September  the  10th,  1835. 
His  early  education  was  received  in  the  common 
schools  and  in  sundry  academies,  among  others, 
Phillips  and  Andover,  with  a  little  more  than  two 
years  at  Yale.  He  did  not  graduate  at  any  one 
of  these  institutions.  Later  in  life,  however, 
Yale  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  A.  M. 
(1869)  and  LL.D.  (1895);  Brown  University 
conferred  on  him  the  degrees  of  Ph.  D.  (1893), 
and  the  University  of  Missouri  (1870),  the  Uni 
versity  of  Pennsylvania  (1894),  and  Princeton 
University  (1896),  the  degree  of  LL.D. 

Doctor  Harris  resided  in  St.  Louis  from  1857 
to  1880.  During  these  twenty-three  years  he 
was  respectively  teacher,  principal,  assistant- 
superintendent,  and  finally,  superintendent,  of 
public  schools,  holding  the  last  named  position 
from  1867  to  1880.  He  was  the  center  of  those 
cultivated  minds  who  assembled  in  the  sixties 
and  seventies  at  ex-Lieutenant-Governor  Brock- 
meyer's  house  and  at  other  places,  and  who 
promised  for  a  time  to  make  St.  Louis  a  center 
of  Hegelian  philosophy. 

In  1880,  Professor  Harris  was  forced  by  fail 
ing  health  to  resign  the  position  of  Superintend 
ent  of  the  Public  Schools;  on  his  retirement,  he 

(191) 


192      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

was  presented  by  the  citizens  of  St.  Louis — in 
recognition  of  his  faithful  and  distinguished  ser 
vices  —  with  a  gold  medal  that  cost  $300,  and  a 
purse  of  $1,000.  He  then  visited  Europe,  rep 
resenting  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Educa 
tion  at  the  International  Congress  of  Educators 
which  was  held  at  Brussels.  Returning  to  the 
United  States,  he  accepted  a  position  as  lecturer 
in  the  Concord  School  of  Philosophy.  In  1889, 
he  again  represented  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Education  at  the  Paris  Exposition,  and  on 
September  12th  of  that  year,  he  was  appointed 
Commissioner  of  Education  of  the  United  States, 
which  office  he  still  holds. 

In  1866,  he  founded  the  Philosophical  Society 
of  St.  Louis,  and  in  1867  began  the  publication 
of  The  Journal  of  Speculative  Philosophy  ^  the 
tirst  publication  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States, 
if  not  in  the  world.  The  Journal  made  a  pro 
found  sensation  in  this  country,  and  was  hailed 
with  approbation  in  England.  That  such  a  work 
should  come  from  St.  Louis  was  probably  the 
largest  item  in  the  list  of  surprises.  The  Journal 
is  still  very  occasionally  published,  but  it  has  faded 
from  the  public  mind.  From  a  business  stand 
point  it  was  badly  managed,  and  has,  no  doubt, 
been  a  financial  loss  to  its  publisher. 

Doctor  Harris  was  assistant  editor  of  "  John 
son's  Cyclopedia"  and  contributed  some  forty 
articles  to  the  departments  of  philosophy  and 
psychology.  In  conjunction  with  Messrs.  Baily 
and  Rickoff  he  prepared  the  Appleton  "  School 


WILLIAM    T.    HARRIS.  193 

Headers  ",  and  with  Dunne  Doty,  he  drew  up  the 
first  formulated  "  Statement  of  the  Theory  of 
American  Education ' ' .  He  had  also  priorly  writ 
ten  an  "  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Philoso- 
ophy  ",  and  published  "Hegel's  Logic  "  ;  "The 
Genesis  of  the  Categories  of  the  Mind  "  ;  "  How 
to  Teach  Science  in  Public  Schools"  (1895); 
"  The  Spiritual  Sense  of  Dante's  Divina  Comme- 
dia  "  ;  and,  "  Psychologic  Foundations  of  Edu 
cation  "  (1898).  With  F.  B.  Sanborn,  he  pub 
lished,  in  two  volumes,  "  A.  Bronston  Alcott,  his 
Life  and  Philosophy  ". 

It  is  simply  a  matter  of  course  that  he  should 
have  devoted  much  thought  and  study  to  Dante's 
immortal  work,  and  that  he  should  have  divined 
its  inmost  significance, — at  least,  should  have 
discovered  a  spiritual  sense  which  should  seem 
the  true  and  vital  heart  of  the  "  Divina  Comme- 
dia". 

Jlis  record  of  indefatigable  devotion  to  the  sub 
ject  of  intellectual  enlightenment  so  constant,  so 
untiring,  so  steadily  maintained,  often  hampered 
as  he  has  been  by  physical  discouragements,  is  in 
itself  a  monument  of  which  any  human  being 
might  well  be  proud.  Doctor  Harris  is  one  of 
the  most  learned  and  profound  scholars,  not  only 
of  the  United  States,  but  of  the  world. 


THE  EDUCATIVE  WORK  AT  MISSIONS. 
Education  is  a  term  of  broad  significance  and  will  apply 
to   nearly  all  that   the  missionary  undertakes  to  do.     For 

13 


194     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

first  he  teaches  God's  message  to  man  and  impresses  on  the 
minds  of  the  heathen  people  to  whom  he  is  sent  the  doctrine 
of  the  true  God  who  loved  man  and  sent  His  divine  Son  to 
die  for  him  in  order  that  he  might  be  saved.  This  doctrine 
of  the  divine-human  nature  of  the  true  God,  contains  in  it, 
as  in  a  germ,  all  of  Christian  civilization.  All  of  the  good 
things  which  form  the  power  and  the  glory  of  the  most 
advanced  nations  of  the  world  flow  as  a  result  from  this 
doctrine:  literature,  history,  and  philosophy,  —  all  these 
have  a  particular  cast  given  them  by  the  religious  doctrine 
of  Christianity,  and  you  cannot  successfully  teach  them  to  a 
people  that  is  bound  to  a  heathen  creed. 

A  mere  nature  religion  does  not  admit  of  science,  of  free 
thought,  and  the  investigation  of  matter  and  force,  for  these 
are  the  elements  that  he  worships  or  dreads  with  a  mortal 
fear,  as  evil  demons,  and  he  spends  his  whole  life  in  trying 
to  propitiate  them  with  ceremonies  and  sacrifices.  The 
Christian  theory  taught  first  that  God  transcends  nature  — 
that  He  created  it  by  a  divine  word  —  and  that  He  did  all 
this  for  the  sake  of  man.  All  time  and  space  is  therefore  a 
vast  cradle  for  the  nurture  of  individuality  up  to  personality. 
God  an  Absolute  Personal  Being  desiring  to  share  His 
independence  and  thought  and  will,  with  other  beings 
whom  He  creates  and  raises  up  from  nature,  to  be  immortal 
persons  and  live  in  His  kingdom  forever. 

According  to  this  doctrine  God  is  love  and  grace  and  the 
nearest  approach  to  Him  that  man  can  make  is  to  be  filled 
with  the  missionary  spirit  — the  spirit  that  strives  with  all 
its  might  to  aid  others  to  see  the  light  and  be  active  in 
helping  others  to  all  that  is  good. 

This  theological  doctrine  is  the  first  lesson  that  the 
Christian  missionary  will  teach,  and  without  it  all  further 
teaching  could  not  avail  very  much.  For  with  nature 
religious  superstition  has  and  must  have  so  large  a  sway  in 
the  human  soul  as  to  dominate  its  science  and  arts  and 
make  impossible  their  free  development.  But  after  this 
that  nature  is  not  a  God  nor  a  demon  but  only  a  process  of 
creating  and  nurturing  individuality  —  after  this  is  adopted, 
science  may  explore  it  (nature)  without  fear,  and  invention 
may  freely  discover  combinations  through  which  the  forces, 
wind,  water,  fire,  electricity,  and  gravitation  may  be  har 
nessed  for  the  service  of  men  — even  for  his  creature  com- 


WILLIAM    T.    HARRIS.  195 

fort  and  amusement;  that  is  to  say,  for  his  bodily  wants, 
food,  clothing,  recreation,  and  shelter,  as  well  as  for  his 
spiritual  wants  of  intercommunion  of  all  men  with  all  men, 
sharing  in  all  experience  of  life,  in  all  discoveries  in  science 
and  in  all  insights  into  nature  of  the  divine,  and  finally  in 
all  the  great  deeds  that  tend  to  benefit  the  race  and  thus 
belong  to  the  missionary  conduct  and  control  of  human 
life. 

First  the  true  theology  and  next  the  application  of  its 
theory  to  life,  The  missionary  will  not  leave  his  newly  con 
verted  heathen  in  their  manners  and  customs  as  he  found 
them.  He  will  change  their  forms  of  eating  and  drinkiug, 
their  forms  of  producing  food,  clothing,  and  shelter,  their 
habits  of  life,  their  institutions  of  marriage  and  the  family, 
and  their  communal  laws  and  usages.  One  after  another, 
in  due  order,  without  haste  and  without  rest,  all  these 
things  will  get  changed  by  the  missionary  with  God's  bless 
ing,  and  the  secular  life  of  the  converted  heathen  will 
gradually  come  into  harmony  with  a  supernatural  religion. 

While  the  people  are  uucler  modes  of  life  which  have 
grown  up  under  a  nature-religion,  they  cannot  fully  realize 
the  meaning  of  the  Christian  doctrine  as  taught  by  the  mis 
sionary.  For  all  must  be  transformed  by  its  light  before  it 
is  fully  understood.  The  most  advanced  nations  have  found 
out  what  is  involved  in  the  Christian  religion,  far  more  than 
the  less  advanced.  It  took  long  centuries  to  arrive  under 
Christianity  at  the  place  where  nature  was  dispossessed  of 
its  demons,  and  the  superstitions  could  so  far  be  overcome 
as  to  permit  free  scientific  investigation.  And  yet  this  view 
of  nature  with  its  matter  and  force  as  a  mere  instrument  for 
human  use  was  clearly  stated  from  the  beginning,  and  is 
implied  even  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  But  the  heathen 
who  retains  his  old  manners  and  customs  meets  at  every 
turn  with  some  habit  or  observance  based  on  a  supersti 
tious  view  of  nature  —  something  of  luck  or  chance,  or  bad 
signs  and  evil  omens,  some  trace  of  demonology  that  has 
moulded  his  life  in  heathendom  and  which  pulls  at  his  gar 
ment's  hem  to  drag  him  down  again  into  the  heathen  view 
of  the  world  from  which  Christian  enlightenment  is  rescuing 
him. 

In  the  early  centuries  the  Christian  church  found  it  nec 
essary  to  change  all  of  the  heathen  feasts  and  holidays  into 


196      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

saints'  days  or  other  reminders  of  the  history  of  our  Lord. 
By  this  change  the  entire  calendar  became  a  vivid  suggestion 
of  the  doctrines  of  the  new  religion,  whereas  it  had  been, 
before,  a  source  of  constant  return  to  the  thoughts  of  the 
old  religion. 

The  lesson  of  this  is  the  importance  of  caring  for  secular 
education  at  our  foreign  missions.  This  should  be  looked 
for  along  all  of  its  lines,  not  because  it  is  a  substitute  for 
doctrinal  religion  but  because  it  aids  and  re-enforce  it,  and 
overcomes  the  tendency  to  re-action  found  in  old  habits  and 
customs. 

The  secular  education  of  the  mission  station  fits  the  con 
vert  from  heathenism  to  enter  the  world  of  productive  in 
dustry  and  contribute  to  'the  wants  of  distant  peoples  who 
go  to  the  world- market  for  their  supplies.  They  receive  in 
return  their  quota  of  the  world's  good?,  brought  to  them 
from  around  the  world.  This  is  in  itself  a  Christian  real 
ization  and  cot  possible  under  the  prevalence  of  nature 
religions;  because  nature  religion  involves  local  divinities, 
gods  of  this  nation  or  that,  gods  hostile  to  other  gods  and 
hence  it  prevents  a  mutual  good  understanding  among  the 
peoples.  Each  one  is  suspicious  of  the  other's  motives  and 
every  trifle  of  difference  in  customs  is  magnified  into  an 
evidence  of  malignant  enmity.  Only  a  state  of  war  is  in 
keeping  with  a  worship  of  local  gods  and  with  a  belief  in 
the  diverse  origin  of  one's  own  tribes  — my  tribe  from  Baal, 
your  tribe  from  Osiris.  Hence  the  existence  of  a  world- 
commerce  implies  the  ascendency  of  a  transcendental 
religion  whose  god  is  above  all  nature  and  who  creates 
nature  as  a  reflection  of  his  grace  or  loving  kindness. 

With  this  belief  all  men  are  of  one  blood  and  made  by  the 
same  Creator  as  brethren.  Then  only  arises  a  spirit  of  tol 
eration  for  all  national  peculiarities,  accompanied  by  the 
missionary  zeal  to  appeal  to  the  intellects  of  the  narrow 
faith.  This  proposes  a  conquest  through  enlightenment  in 
stead  of  a  conquest  through  brute  force. 


SAMUEL  L.  CLEMENS. 

Samuel  Langhorn  Clemens,  known  the  world 
over  under  the  nom-de-plume  of  "  Mark  Twain  ", 
did  some  of  his  earliest  literary  work  in  St. 
Louis.  He  was  at  that  time  connected  with  the 
traffic  business  of  the  Mississippi ;  having  taken 
out  a  pilot's  license  and  worked  as  a  pilot  until 
18()1.  This  period  of  his  life  is  graphically  de 
scribed  in  "  Old  Times  on  the  Mississippi  ". 

"  Mark  Twain  "  was  born  in  Hannibal,  Mis 
souri,  November  30th,  1835.  In  May,  1902,  he 
revisited  the  scenes  of  his  youth  and  his  early 
struggles.  He  has  paid  several  visits  to  St. 
Louis  since  his  permanent  removal  to  the  East, 
and  is  taking  a  generous  interest  in  the  Louis 
iana  Purchase  Exposition  of  this  year  (1904), 
and  in  which  he  will  be  a  prominent  figure.  In 
June,  1902,  the  City  of  St.  Louis  named  its 
harbor  boat  the  "Mark  Twain  "  in  his  honor. 
It  was  a  sight  long  to  be  remembered  to  have 
seen  the  genial  old  white-haired  gentleman  ascend 
to  the  pilot  house,  take  the  wheel  in  hand,  and 
steer  the  boat  up  the  Mississippi  once  more  after 
a  lapse  of  probably  forty  years ! 

In  his  youthful  days,  we  are  told  that  Clemens 
"could  not  be  persuaded  to  go  to  school*'. 
After  his  father's  death,  which  occurred  when  he 
was  twelve  years  of  age,  he  became  an  apprentice 

(197) 


198     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

in  a  printing  establishment.  At  fifteen  he  ran 
away  from  home  and  wandered  about  in  the  East 
living  the  life  of  a  tramp  printer  until  he  was 
twenty.  He  then  came  back  West  and  became  a 
pilot  on  the  Mississippi  river.  Shortly  after  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  he  joined  the 
Confederate  forces  in  Missouri.  lie  was  shortly 
taken  prisoner,  but  lie  soon  escaped  and  made 
his  way  to  California.  From  there,  in  1867,  he 
published  his  "Jumping  Frog  of  Calaveras  ". 
Next,  he  traveled  in  Europe  and  the  Holy  Land 
as  a  newspaper  correspondent,  and  in  1869,  as 
the  result  of  his  journey,  gave  the  world  his 
"  Innocents  Abroad  ".  Next  followed  "  Rough 
ing  It  "  (1871);  "The  Gilded  Age",  written 
jointly  with  Charles  Dudley  Warner  (1873); 
"  Old  Times  on  the  Mississippi  "  ( 1875)  ;  "  The 
Adventures  of  Tom  Say  wer "  (187(>);  "A 
Tramp  Abroad  "  (1880);  "The  Adventures  of 
Huckleberry  Finn  "  (1884)  ;  "  A  Yankee  at  the 
Court  of  King  Arthur"  (1889);  "Following 
the  Equator"  (1897);  "  Merry  Tales  "  (1892), 
and  other  works.  In  1902  he  wrote  a  series  of 
articles  on  Christian  Science  for  The  ^STorfli 
American  Re  vie  w . 

I  have  observed  the   literary  career  of  "  Mark 
Twain"  unfolding  itself  with  much  interest.      It 

O 

has  been  a  puzzle  to  me.  It  had  always  seemed 
to  me  impossible  that  a  writer  who  violated 
nearly  all  the  canons  of  literary  art,  and  whose 
themes  were  so  thoroughly  commonplace,  should 
become  so  extensively  known  and  so  widely 


SAMUEL    L.    CLEMENS.  199 

popular  as  Mr.  Clemens  has  become.  Of  course, 
his  fame  is  only  of  to-day,  but  it  is  wonderful 
that  it  is  so  widespread  and  hearty,  even  if  it  is 
merely  ephemeral.  On  what  is  it  based? — that 
is  the  puzzle.  He  deals  of  the  everyday  and 
commonplace  —  he  is  often  coarse  (as  in  "The 
Adventures  of  Huckleberry  Finn"),  irreverent, 
if  not  blasphemous  (as  in  "The  Innocents 
Abroad"),  and  unnatural  and  straining  after 
effect  (as  in  * '  The  Adventures  of  Tom  Say  wer ' ' ) . 
He  has  not  one  tithe  of  the  refinement  of  Lowell, 
the  delicacy  of  Irving,  or  the  spontaneous  genial 
ity  of  Holmes;  and  yet,  in  public  estimation,  he 
is  greater,  or  at  least,  he  is  more  popular,  than 
all  three  combined ! 

As  a  humorist,  he  paints  no  typical  charac 
ters, —  he  describes  individuals  whose  peculiari 
ties,  and  the  unexpected  conditions  in  which  they 
are  placed,  awake  our  risibilities  for  the  time 
being  only,  and  leave  no  lasting  impression.  As 
a  novelist,  what  could  possibly  be  more  wretch 
edly  untrue  to  history  and  to  human  nature  than 
his  "  Personal  Recollections  of  Joan  of  Arc  "  — 
a  twentieth  century  Joan,  labelled  fifteenth  cen 
tury?  Mark  Twain  lacks  the  education  abso 
lutely  necessary  to  a  great  writer;  he  lacks  the 
refinement  which  would  render  it  impossible  for 
him  to  create  such  coarse  characters  as  Huckle 
berry  Finn;  furthermore,  he  is  absolutely  uncon 
scious  of  all  canons  of  literary  art.  "  He  amuses 
us  —  he  makes  us  laugh.  There  is  enough  sor 
row  in  the  world  ",  said  a  lady  to  me  lately. 


200     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Possibly,  that  is  the  secret  of  Mark  Twain's  im 
mense  popularity. 

Typotheta?,  an  association  of  New  Yorkers, 
commemorated  the  birthday  of  Franklin  by  a 
dinner  on  January  18,  1886.  After  the  cloth  was 
removed,  President  Martin,  one  of  New  York's 
oldest  printers,  led  off  with  reminiscences  of  the 
historic  marvels  of  typography,  and  Mr.  Clemens, 
in  response  to  the  toast,  "  The  Compositor  "  gave 
the  following  description  of  the  life  of  a  "  cub  " 
printer  of  forty  years  ago : 


THE  COMPOSITOR. 

"  The  chairman's  historical  reminiscences  of  Guttenburg 
have  caused  me  to  fall  into  reminiscences,  for  I  myself  am 
something  of  an  antiquity.  (Laughter.)  All  things  change 
in  the  procession  of  years,  and  it  may  be  that  I  am  among 
strangers.  It  may  be  that  the  printer  of  to-day  is  not  the 
printer  of  thirty-five  years  ago.  I  was  no  stranger  to  him. 
I  knew  him  well.  I  built  his  fire  for  him  in  the  winter 
mornings;  I  brought  his  water  from  the  village  pump;  I 
swept,  out  his  office;  I  picked  up  his  type  from  under  his 
stand;  and,  if  he  were  there  to  see,  I  put  the  good  type  in 
his  case  and  the  broken  ones  among  the  f  hell  matter';  and 
if  he  wasn't  there  to  see,  I  dumped  it  all  with  the  '  pi '  on 
the  imposing- stone  —  for  that  was  the  furtive  fashion  of  the 
cub,  and  I  was  a  cub.  I  wetted  down  the  paper  Saturdays, 
I  turned  it  Sundays  —  for  this  was  a  country  weekly;  I 
rolled,  I  washed  the  rollers,  I  washed  the  forms,  I  folded 
the  papers,  I  carried  them  around  at  dawn  Thursday 
mornings.  The  carrier  was  then  an  object  of  interest  to 
all  the  dogs  in  town.  If  I  had  saved  up  all  the  bites  I 
ever  received,  I  could  keep  M.  Pasteur  busy  for  a  year. 
I  enveloped  the  papers  that  were  for  the  mail  — we  had 
a  hundred  town  subscribers  and  three  hundred  and  fifty 
country  ones;  the  town  subscribers  paid  in  groceries  and 


SAMUEL    L.     CLEMENS.  201 

the  country  ones  in  cabbages  and  cord  wood — when  they 
paid  at  all,  which  was  merely  sometimes,  and  then  we 
always  stated  the  fact  in  the  paper,  and  gave  them  a  puff; 
aud  if  we  forgot  it  they  stopped  the  paper.  Every  man 
on  the  town  list  helped  edit  the  thing  —  that  is,  he  gave 
orders  as  to  how  it  was  to  be  edited ;  dictated  its  opinions, 
marked  out  its  course  for  it,  and  every  time  the  boss  failed 
to  connect  he  stopped  his  paper.  We  were  just  infested 
with  critic:?,  and  we  tried  to  satisfy  them  all  over.  We  had 
one  subscriber  who  paid  cash,  and  he  was  more  trouble  to 
us  than  all  the  rest.  He  bought  us  once  a  year,  body  and 
soul,  for  two  dollars.  He  used  to  modify  our  politics  every 
which  way,  and  he  made  us  change  our  religion  four  times 
in  five  years.  If  we  ever  tried  to  reason  with  him  he  would 
threaten  to  stop  his  paper,  and,  of  course,  that  meant  bank 
ruptcy  and  destruction.  That  man  used  to  write  articles  a 
column  and  a  half  long,  leaded  long  primer,  and  sign  them 
'  Junius  ',  or  '  Veritas  ',  or  '  Vox  Fopuli ',  or  some  other  high- 
sounding  rot;  and  then,  after  it  was  set  up,  he  would  come 
in  and  say  he  had  changed  his  mind  —  which  was  a  gilded 
figure  of  speech,  because  he  hadn't  any  —  and  order  it  to  be 
left  out.  We  couldn't  stand  such  waste  as  that ;  we  couldn't 
afford  '  bogus  '  in  that  office;  so  we  always  took  the  leads 
out,  altered  the  signature,  credited  the  article  to  the  rival 
paper  in  the  next  village,  and  put  it  in. 

"  Well,  we  did  have  one  or  two  kinds  of  '  bogus  '.  When 
ever  there  was  a  barbecue,  or  a  circus,  or  a  baptizing,  we 
knocked  off  for  half  a  day;  and  then  to  make  up  for  short 
matter  we  would  '  turn  over  ads'  — turn  over  the  whole 
page  and  duplicate  it.  The  other  « bogus  '  was  deep  phi 
losophical  stuff,  which  we  judged  nobody  ever  read;  so  we 
kept  a  galley  of  it  standing,  and  kept  on  slapping  the  same 
old  batches  of  it  in,  every  now  and  then,  till  it  got  dangerous. 
Also,  in  the  early  days  of  the  telegraph  we  used  to  econo 
mize  on  the  news.  We  picked  out  the  items  that  were  point 
less  and  barren  of  information  and  stood  them  on  a  galley, 
and  changed  the  dates  and  localities,  and  used  them  over  until 
the  public  interest  in  them  was  worn  to  the  bone.  We  marked 
the  ads,  but  we  seldom  paid  any  attention  to  the  marks 
afterwards;  so  the  life  of  a  '  td  '  ad  and  a  '  tf '  ad  was 
equally  eternal.  I  have  seen  a  <  td  '  notice  of  a  sheriff's  sale 
still  booming  serenely  along  two  years  after  the  ?ale  was 


202      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

over,  the  sheriff  dead  and  the  whole  circumstance  become 
ancient  history.  Most  of  the  yearly  ads  were  patent  medi 
cine  stereotypes,  and  we  used  to  fence  with  them. 

"I  can  see  that  printing  office  of  prehistoric  times  yet, 
with  its  horse  bills  on  the  wall,  its  '  d  '  boxes  clogged  with 
tallow,  because  we  always  stood  the  candle  in  the  '  k '  box 
nights,  its  towel,  which  was  not  considered  soiled  until  it 
could  stand  alone,  and  other  signs  and  symbols  that  marked 
the  establishment  of  that  kind  in  the  Mississippi  valley;  and 
I  can  see,  also,  the  tramping  'jour',  who  flitted  by  in  the 
summer  and  tarried  a  day,  with  his  wallet  stuffed  with  one 
shirt  and  a  hatful  of  handbills;  for  if  he  couldn't  get  any 
type  to  set  he  would  do  a  temperance  lecture.  His  way  of 
life  was  simple,  his  needs  not  complex;  all  he  wanted  was 
plate  and  bed  and  money  enough  to  get  drunk  on,  and  he  was 
satisfied.  But  it  may  be,  as  I  have  said,  that  I  am  among 
strangers,  and  sing  the  glories  of  a  forgotten  age  to  un 
familiar  ears,  so  I  will '  make  even  '  and  stop." 


MARY  ASHLEY  TOWNSEND. 

M;iry  Ashley  Van  Voorhis  was  l)orn  in  1836 
in  Lyons,  Wayne  County,  New  York.  In  the 
fifties  she  married  Gideon  Townsend  of  Fishkill, 
New  York.  In  the  sixties  they  took  up  their 
permanent  residence  in  New  Orleans.  Three 
daughters  were  the  issue  of  this  union. 

From  the  date  of  her  removal  to  New  Orleans 
her  pen  contributed  to  every  notable  occasion  in 
the  history  of  that  city,  and  the  title  of  Laureate 
of  Louisiana  was  conferred  upon  her  by  the 
Louisiana  Historical  Society.  In  1884  she  was 
appointed  poet  of  the  New  Orleans  Exposition, 
and  was  selected  to  write  the  poem  for  the  open 
ing  of  the  Woman's  Department.  Later  on  she 
was  elected  .a  member  of  the  Liceo  Hidalgo,  the 
foremost  literary  club  of  Mexico,  in  recognition 
of  her  published  literary  appreciations  of  the 
land  of  the  Montezumas. 

Mrs.  Townsend  was  a  prolific  writer.  Her  first 
story  was  published  in  a  Boston  paper,  The  Lit 
erary  Museum.  She  afterwards  contributed  to  The 
Critic,  The  Journal  of  Commerce,  many  Eastern 
magazines  and  several  of  the  New  Orleans  papers. 
Besides  her  poetical  writings,  she  has  written 
enough  essays,  short  stories  and  general  corres 
pondence  to  make  a  book  of  each  kind  of  such 
compositions,  besides  a  work  of  travel  in  Mexico. 

(203) 


204      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

In  1885,  Mrs.  Emma  Thacker  Kaye,  an  ac 
complished  literary  lady  of  Chicago,  wrote  to  me 
upon  her  return  from  a  visit  to  New  Orleans : 
"My  visit  to  «  Zariffa  '  was  simply  a  sweet  ova 
tion.  She  is  a  highly  cultured  woman.  Her 
house  is  furnished  in  lavish  oriental  style  —  rich 
tapestry  hangings,  large  van-colored  rugs,  great 
white  silk  storks  embossed  on  the  walls,  majolica 
vases  and  rare  old  paintings,  mandolins,  bear 
skins,  etc.,  complete  a  home  that  bespeaks  the 
abode  of  culture  and  refinement".  To  another 
friend  I  am  indebted  for  the  following  written  in 
1886:  "Mary  Ashley  Townsend  possesses  a  tall 
statuesque  figure  \vell  adapted  to  the  wearing  of 
heavy  velvets  and  rich  brocades.  She  moves 
among  the  crowd  with  a  stately  grace.  Her 
complexion  is  fair.  Her  soft  brown  hair  is 
rolled  back  from  a  womanly  brow  —  and  gathered 
low  in  a  classic  coil  displaying  her  shapely  head. 
Her  blue  eyes  have  a  fine  earnest  expression,  and 
you  comprehend  that  even  in  dreamy  moods,  she 
does  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  she  is  an 
individual  of  whom  something  is  constantly 
expected  and  demanded.  She  has  a  keen  appre 
ciation  of  the  good,  or  reverse,  in  persons  ".  I 
remember  that  Mrs.  Townsend  read  a  poem  at 
the  meeting  of  the  Associated  Press,  in  St.  Louis, 
about  1886.  The  above  description  of  her  cor 
responds  with  my  recollections  of  her. 

Mrs.  Townsend' s  published  works  include  a 
novel,  "The  Brother  Clerks"  (New  York, 
1859) ;  "  Zariffa's  Poems  ';  (Philadelphia, 


MARY    ASHLEY    TOWNSEND.  205 

1870);  "The  Captain's  Story",  a  dramatic 
poem  (Philadelphia,  1874)  ;  "  Down  the  Bayou, 
and  other  Poems  "  (Philadelphia,  1882),  and 
"Distaff  and  Spindle"  (Philadelphia,  1895. 
Her  sonnets  in  the  last  mentioned  work,  The 
Nen'  York  Press  classed  with  the  best  ever 
written  in  English.  Highly  educated,  accom 
plished  and  naturally  gifted.  Mrs.  Towusend 
holds  a  very  high  rank  among  Southern  authors. 
In  strength,  imagination  and  mastery  of  language, 
she  stands  on  a  plane  only  slightly  lower  than 
that  occupied  by  Poc  and  Lanicr,  the  best 
examples  of  poetic  genius  produced  by  the  South 
so  far.  She  died  at  New  Orleans,  June  7,  1901. 


CREED. 

(From  Zariffa's  Poems. ) 
I  believe  if  I  should  die, 
And  you  should  kiss  my  eyelHs  when  I  lie 

Cold,  dead,  and  dumb  to  all  the  world  contains, 
The  folded  orbs  would  open  at  thy  breath, 
And,  from  its  exile  in  the  isles  of  death, 
Life  would  come  gladly  back  along  my  veins. 

I  believe  if  I  were  dead, 
And  you  upon  my  lifeless  heart  would  tread, 

Not  knowing  what  the  poor  clod  chanced  to  be, 
It  would  find  sudden  pulse  beneath  the  touch 
Of  him  it  ever  loved  in  life  so  much, 

And  throb  again,  warm,  tender,  true  to  thee. 

I  believe  if  on  my  grave, 
Hidden  in  woody  deeps  or  by  the  wave, 
Your  eyes  should  drop  some  warm  tears  of  regret, 


206     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

From  every  salty  seed  of  your  dear  grief, 
Some  fair,  sweet  blossom  would  leap  into  leaf, 
To  prove  death  could  not  make  my  love  forget. 

I  believe  if  I  should  fade 
Into  those  mystic  realms  where  light  is  made, 

And  you  should  long  once  more  my  face  to  see, 
I  would  come  forth  upon  the  hills  of  night 
And  gather  stars,  like  fagots,  till  thy  sight, 

Led  by  their  beacon  blaze,  fell  full  on  me! 

I  believe  my  faith  in  thee, 
Strong  as  my  life,  so  nobly  placed  to  be, 

I  would  as  soon  expect  to  see  the  sun 
Fall  like  a  dead  kinz  from  his  height  sublime, 
His  glory  stricken  from  the  throne  of  time, 

As  thee  unworth  the  worship  thou  hast  won. 

I  believe  who  hath  not  loved 
Hath  half  the  sweetness  of  his  life  unproved; 

Like  one  who,  with  the  grape  within  his  grasp. 
Drops  it  with  all  its  crimson  juice  unpressed, 
And  all  its  luscious  sweetness  left  unguessed, 

Out  from  his  careless  and  unheeding  clasp. 

I  believe,  love  pure  and  true, 
Is  to  the  soul  a  sweet,  immortal  dew, 

That  gems  life's  petals  in  its  hours  of  dusk; 
That  waiting  angels  see  and  recognize 
The  rich  crown  jewel,  love,  of  Paradise, 

When  life  falls  from  us  like  a  withered  husk. 


THE  BATHER. 

(From  "  Zariffa's  7'oewts.") 
Warm  from  her  waist  her  girdle  she  unbound, 
And  cast  it  down  on  the  insensate  turf; 
Then  copse,  and  cove,  and  deep-secluded  vale, 
She  scrutinized  with  keen  though  timid  eyes, 
And  stood  with  ear  intent  to  catch  each  stir 
Of  leaf,  or  twig,  or  bird-wing,  rustling  there. 
Her  startled  heart  beat  quicker  even  to  hear 


MARY    ASHLEY    TOWNSEND.  207 

The  wild  bee  woo  the  blossom  with  a  hymn, 

Or  hidden  insect  break  its  lance  of  sound 

Against  the  obdurate  silence.     Then  she  smiled, 

At  her  own  fears  amused,  and  knew  herself 

In  God's  own  image  by  that  hidden  pool. 

Then  from  its  bounds  her  wond'rous  hair  she  loosed, 

Hair  glittering  like  spun  glass,  and  bright  as  though 

Shot  full  of  golden  arrows.     Down  below 

Her  supple  waist  the  soft  and  shimmering  coils 

Rolled  in  their  bright  abundance,  goldener 

Than  was  the  golden  wonder  Jason  sought. 

Her  fair  hands  then,  like  white  doves  in  a  net, 
A  moment  fluttered  'mid  the  shining  threads, 
As  with  a  dexterous  touch  she  higher  laid 
The  gleaming  tresses  on  her  shapely  head, 
Beyond  the  reach  of  rudely  amorous  waves. 
Then  from  her  throat  her  light  robe  she  unclasped, 
And  dropped  it  downward  with  a  blush  that  rose 
The  higher  as  the  garment  lower  fell. 

Then  she  cast  off  the  sandals  from  her  feet, 
And  paused  upon  the  brink  of  that  blue  lake; 
A  sight  too  fair  for  either  gods  or  men; 
An  Eve  untempted  in  her  Paradise. 

The  waters  into  which  her  young  eyes  looked 

Gave  back  her  image  with  so  true  a  truth 

She  blushed  to  look,  but  blushing  looked  again  — 

As  maidens  to  their  mirrors  oft  return 

With  bashful  boldness,  once  again  to  gaze 

Upon  the  crystal  page  that  renders  back 

Themselves  unto  themselves,  until  their  eyes 

Confess  their  love  for  their  own  loveliness. 

Her  rounded  cheeks,  in  each  of  which  had  grown, 

With  sudden  blossoming,  a  fresh  red  rose, 

She  hid  an  instant  in  her  dimpled  hands, 

Then  met  her  pink  palms  up  above  her  head, 

And  whelmed  her  white  shape  in  the  welcoming  wave. 

Around  each  lithesome  limb  the  water  twined, 
And  with  their  lucent  raiment  robed  her  form; 
And,  as  her  hesitating  bosom  sunk 


208      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

To  the  caresses  of  bewildered  waves, 
They  foamy  pearls  from  their  own  foreheads  gave 
For  her  fair  brow,  and  showered  in  her  hair 
The  evanescent  diamonds  of  the  deep. 

Thus  dallying  with  the  circumfluent  tide, 
Her  loveliness  half  hidden,  half  revealed, 
An  Undine  with  a  soul,  she  plunged  and  rose, 
Whilst  the  white  graces  of  her  rounded  arms 
She  braided  with  the  blue  of  wandering  waves, 
And  saw  the  shoulders  of  the  billows  yield 
Bef  jre  the  even  strokes  of  her  small  hands, 
And  laughed  to  see,  and  held  her  crimson  mouth 
Above  the  crest  of  each  advancing  surge, 
Like  a  red  blossom  pendent  o'er  a  pool  — 
Till,  clone  with  the  invigorating  play, 
Once  more  she  gained  the  bank,  and  once  again 
Saw  her  twin  image  in  the  waters  born. 

From  the  translucent  wave  each  beauty  grew 
To  strange  perfection.     Never  statue  wrought 
By  cunning  art  to  fullness  of  all  grace, 
And  kissed  to  life  by  love,  could  fairer  seem 
Than   she  who  stood  upon  that  grassy  slope, 
So  fresh,  so  human,  so  immaculate! 
Out  from  the  dusky  cloisters  of  the  wood 
The  nun-like  winds  stole  with  a  saintly  step, 
And  dried  the  bright  drops  from  her  panting  form 
As  she  with  hurried  hands  once  more  let  down 
The  golden  drapery  of  her  glorious  hair, 
That  fell  about  her  like  some  royal  cloak 
Dropped  from  the  sunset's  rare  and  radiant  loom. 


DENTON  J.  SNIDER. 

Denton  J.  Snider,  the  classic  scholar  and 
Shakespearian  critic,  was  born  at  Mount  Gilead, 
Ohio,  on  the  9th  day  of  January,  1841.  He 
graduated  at  Oberlin  College  in  1862.  In  1864, 
and  during  the  succeeding  two  or  three  years,  he 
taught  English  and  American  literature  at  the 
Christian  Brothers'  College,  St.  Louis,  and  later 
on  was  a  teacher  in  the  St.  Louis  High  School, 
under  Professor  W.  T.  Harris.  In  the  latter 
part  of  the  sixties  and  in  the  seventies,  he  was  a 
prominent  member  of  several  leading  philosoph 
ical  and  literary  societies,  and  during  several 
years  of  its  existence  was  a  lecturer  at  the 
School  of  Philosophy  of  Concord,  Massachusetts. 
He  contributed  frequently  to  The  Journal  of 
Speculative  Philosophy,  The  Western,  and  other 
magazines  of  the  higher  class.  During  leisure 
hours  he  conducted  classes  for  both  sexes  in 
Roman  and  Greek  history,  Homer,  Herodotus, 
Shakespeare  and  Goethe.  Professor  Snider  has 
probably  done  more  for  the  cause  of  higher  edu 
cation  in  St.  Louis  than  any  one  who  has  ever 
resided  in  that  city,  except  Professor  Harris. 

About  the  middle  of  the  seventies,  he  spent 
two  or  three  years  in  European  travel,  visiting 
principally  the  classic  grounds  of  the  past. 

Professor  Snider  is  the  author  of  several  works 
H  (209) 


210    LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

of  higher  literature  noted  for  their  analytical 
insight,  classic  diction,  and  philosophical  power. 
While  the  art  is  not  of  the  highest,  it  is  never 
theless  of  a  very  high  grade.  Absorbed  as  he  is 
in  'the  contemplation  of  the  central  idea,  he 
sometimes  loses  sight  of  the  minor  —  though  not 
always  entirely  unimportant  details.  He  does 
not  write  for  the  popular  masses,  but  for  the 
educated  few.  Popular  applause,  to  him,  has  no 
seductive  side. 

i4His  best  poetry  ",  the  late  J.  Gabriel  Woer- 
ner,  a  ripe  literary  scholar,  once  said  tome,  "  has 
not  been  in  book  form,  but  only  in  printed  slips 
for  distribution  among  his  intimate  friends.  The 
finest  specimens  of  his  poetic  powers  are  con 
tained  in  his  "  Soul's  Journey"  (in  three  parts), 
'The  Triumph  of  Death',  '  The  Triumph  of  the 
Image',  and  'The  Triumph  of  Reason'.  The 
poem,  or  cycle  of  poems,  is  the  outcry  of  his 
soul  steeped  in  grief  over  the  loss  of  his  wife  ". 
Professor  Snider  married  a  St.  Louis  lady  late  in 
the  sixties. 

His  «•  Walk  in  Hellas  "  (1882),  to  me,  is  the 
most  delightful  of  his  books,  because  he  is  upon 
the  classic  ground  so  dear  to  him ;  it  infects  the 
reader  with  that  enthusiastic  adoration  of  the 
beautiful,  which  is  Mr.  Snider' s  divine  gift  from 
the  Muses. 

Professor  Snider  resided  in  St.  Louis  about 
twenty-five  years.  Since  some  fifteen  years  he 
lives  in  Chicago,  but  he  pays  frequent  visits  to 
his  old  friends  in  the  city  of  the  coming  Expo- 


DENTON    J.    SNIDER.  211 

sition.  His  wife  died  in  St.  Louis  in  1874.  He 
has  an  only  daughter  who  is  married  and  lives  in 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  He  will  locate  in  St. 
Louis  again  in  March,  1904. 

His  published  works  are:  "A  System  of 
Shakespeare's  Dramas"  (1877);  "Delphic 
Days  "  ( 1880)  ;  "  Agamemnon's  Daughter  " 
(1885)  ;  "An  Epigrammatic  Voyage  "  (1886)  ; 
"A  Commentary  on  Goethe's  Faust"  (1886); 
"  A  Commentary  on  Shakespeare's  Tragedies" 
(1887);  "  The  Freeburgers ;  a  Novel"  (1890)  ; 
"  Homer  in  Chios  :  an  Epopee"  (1891)  ;  "  Johnny 
Appleseed  ' '  and  ' 4  World's  Fair  Studies ' '  ( 1894 ) ; 
"  The  American  State",  "  Psychosis  "  ;  "  Froe- 
bel's  Mother  Play-Songs";  "The  Psychology 
of  Froebel's  Play-Gifts  "  ;  "  The  Life  of  Fred 
erick  Froebel  ";  "Psychology  and  the  Psycho 
sis";  "Ancient  European  Philosophy*  (St. 
Louis,  1903)  ;  "  Modern  European  Philosophy  " 
(St.  Louis,  1904);  and  three  or  four  others 
of  less  importance. 

"  An  Epigrammatic  Voyage  "  is  a  book  of  poet 
ical  musings  written  during  Professor  Snider' s 
travels  among  the  classic  authors  —  a  log-book,  in 
fact.  His  pages  are  the  moonlight  of  poesy,  their 
luster  is  the  borrowed  light  of  classic  themes. 
While  betraying  an  unusual  fondness  for  things 
Olympian  and  Pompeiian,  he  criticises  himself 
by  saying  that  on  the  cairn  of  stones  reared  by 
former  poets  - 

"  On  the  pile  I  throw  down  my  pebbles,  each  one  is  scrib 
bled 
With  some  legend  faint,  visible  scarce  to  the  crowd." 


212      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

He  loves  to  haunt  the  Homeric  landscapes ; 
he  delights  to  drink  the  literary  vintages  grown 
in  Greek  sunshine.  Not  caring  for  popular  ap 
plause,  he  must  seek  his  reward  in  the  odors  of 
Hymettus  and  the  pellucid  shores  of  Calypso. 

In  1899,  Professor  Snider  published,  "The 
Will  and  its  World"  (St.  Louis),  which  is  a 
valuable  addition  to  education.  It  is  not  an  ar 
gument,  but  an  unfolding  of  the  fact  that  the 
will  is  free.  It  is  a  most  admirable  book  on 
pedagogy  in  making  clear  both- the  processes  by 
which  the  supreme  good  —  a  good  will  —  must 
be  attained  if  it  is  ever  realized  and  also  those 
by  which  evil  becomes  dominant  in  the  soul  of 
man  and  the  method  of  its  own  self-annulment. 


THE  TALL  APPLE  TREE. 
(From  "  The  Freeburgers.") 

The  Tall  Apple  Tree  was  the  sole  antiquity  of  the  village, 
where  Time  had  as  yet  dropped  none  of  its  spiritual  me 
mentos;  it  rose  out  of  the  past  a  single  flash  shooting  rear 
ward  into  thick  night.  It  became  thus  the  mystery  of  the 
place,  upon  which  the  villagers  stretched  their  souls  quite 
back  to  the  original  apple-tree  in  the  first  Garden.  What 
providing  spirit  had  wandered  hither  before  them  and 
planted  it  just  for  their  behoof?  But  its  origin  did  not 
trouble  many  people;  they  enjoyed  its  shade,  they  plucked 
its  fruits  and  went  their  way,  like  most  of  the  children  of 
Adam.  They  never  saw  the  hand  reaching  to  them  out  of 
the  dark  with  these  gifts,  never  beheld  the  body  to  which 
this  hand  belonged,  never  looked  upon  the  face  which 
crowned  this  body. 

To  these  objects  in  the  landscape,  we  must  add  another 
which  towered  up  not  far  away  and  persisted  in  being  seen 


DENTON    J.     SNIDER.  213 

for  miles  arouud.  This  was  the  School-house,  a  plain  but 
commodious  building,  in  which  Miss  Hope  Winslow  was  the 
controlling  spirit.  It  may  with  justice  be  called  the  third 
center  of  the  village;  or,  more  properly,  the  third  corner  in 
the  triangle  made  by  the  Tall  Apple  Tree  and  the  Public 
Square.  The  three  objects  seemed  to  stand  in  a  certain 
clo^e  connection  with  one  another,  faintly  suggested  by  their 
mathematical  relation ;  they  belonged  together  and  formed 
not  only  one  spatial  figure,  but  one  spiritual  fact  of  the 
town.  If  either  had  been  taken  away,  the  rest  would  have 
been  different,  and  Freeburg  would  have  had  another  kind 
of  life. 

The  School  house  was  a  plant  of  civilization,  and  it  was 
well  authenticated  who  set  out  the  plant.  Here  the  Un 
known  entered  not,  but  was  driven  away  with  the  pedagog 
ical  birch,  if  necessary.  The  Schcol-house  was  the  realm 
of  the  Known;  the  very  sight  of  it  suggested  its  character. 
It  was  built  on  a  little  hillock,  was  three  stories  high,  and 
overlooked  the  entire  village,  standing  squarely  on  its  base 
and  turned  to  the  four  points  of  the  compass.  A  striking 
fact  about  it  was  that  it  was  full  of  windows,  which  made  it 
light  within,  acd  gave  it  the  appearance  of  light  without. 
As  it  rose  up  over  its  hillock,  it  seemed  to  be  all  eyes,  es 
pecially  when  the  sun  shone  brilliantly  upon  it,  and  trans- 
forme  i  each  window-pane  into  a  blaze  of  illumination.  On 
every  side  it  was  open ;  not  a  brick  of  it  remained  hidden  by 
any  intervening  object;  only  a  small  veranda  modestly  sug 
gested  that  there  was  an  entrance  to  the  building  for  any 
diligent  seeker. 

These  three  centers  will  occur  often  in  the  course  of  our 
narrative,  since  around  them  most  of  the  people  as  well  as 
most  of  the  events  of  Freeburg  naturally  group  themselves. 


CONSCIENCE  OR  THE  CONSTITUTION? 

(From  u  The  Freeburgers."') 

The  anti-slavery  agitation  had  arisen,  and  was  gradually 
taking  possession  of  the  political  conviction  of  the  North. 
It  was,  however,  no  mere  theoretical  dispute  about  right 
and  wrong:  the  man  was  summoned  to  act.  A  national  law 


214     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

had  been  recently  passed,  which  made  it  incumbent  upon 
every  citizen  of  a  free  country  to  aid  in  returning  a  fugitive 
slave  to  his  master.  The  legislation  of  certain  Northern 
States  had  sought,  with  varying  success,  to  assist  or  to  ob 
struct  the  national  law.  From  the  legislature  the  question 
passed  necessarily  to  the  Judiciary.  The  issue  was  plain,  in 
spite  of  all  legal  cobwebs  spun  around  it;  each  candidate  had 
to  be  tested  by  it;  as  Judge,  his  influence  was  important. 
The  people  rigidly  applied  the  test  to  every  man  soliciting 
their  suffrages;  they  asked  not  what  is  law,  but  what  does 
this  man  think  is  the  law. 

The  great  event  loves  to  hide  itself  and  play  with  appear 
ances  before  it  throws  off  its  mask  and  stands  visible,  in  full 
panoply  marching  before  the  front  rank  of  battle.  In  those 
days  many  were  the  tortuosities  and  subterfuges  and  legal 
quibbles  going  to  prove  by  law  that  the  law  was  no  law. 
Some  said  the  State  was  not  constitutional;  others  declared 
that  the  national  law  was  not  constitutional,  while  the  people 
were  rapidly  beginning  to  believe  that  the  constitution  itself 
was  not  constitutional.  Through  dark  subterranean  chan 
nels  of  argumentation  the  stream  of  discussion  kept  flowing, 
with  new  twists  and  turns,  new  solutions  and  new  difficul 
ties'  daily.  But  after  all  distinctions,  subtle  and  obvious, 
important  and  unimportant,  had  been  laid  down,  wiped  out 
and  laid  down  again,  possibly  to  be  wiped  out  again,  there 
rose  out  of  this  turbulent  sea  of  words  one  colossal  ques 
tion,  unshaken  by  the  tempest  and  high  as  heaven,  with 
dazzling  nakedness  and  of  terrible  practical  import :  Am  I 
to  obey  Conscience  or  the  Constitution? 


THE  HOME  OF  DIANA. 
(From  "Agamemnon's  Daughter."} 
There  stands  high  up  above  the  town  a  fane 

Whose  marble  front  peeps  out  the  thicket  green, 
And  every  stone  a  softened  tint  hath  ta'en, 

Purer  than  any  pearl  was  ever  seen, 

Washed  in  the  waters  of  an  ocean  clean; 
The  leaflets  flutter  noiseless  round  the  side, 

The  tree-tops  to  the  roof  do  fondly  lean, 
The  jewel  of  the  wood  within  to  hide. 


DENTON    J.     SNIDER.  215 

The  timid  deer  sports  there  without  alarm, 
The  wary  bird  can  there  no  trapper  fear, 

It  was  a  spot  where  man  dared  do  no  harm, 
Peace  reigneth  in  that  wood  the  entire  year, 
The  fountain's  modest  joy  one  scarce  will  hear, 

As  it  wells  out  beneath  a  root  of  might, 
And  trails  in  crystal  pure  a  leaflet  sere, 

Or  paints  a  tender  stain  on  pebble  white. 

This  was  the  home  of  Dian,  these  her  woods, 
Where  oft  the  Goddess  rested  from  the  chase, 

When  she  amid  the  sylvan  solitudes 
Had  led  her  choir  in  the  tumultuous  race 
And  of  that  sport  the  air  felt  long  the  trace, 

Though  the  gay  rout  had  faded  all  away; 

It  was  the  soft  worn  heart's  own  resting  place, 

Far  from  the  town,  and  the  bold  stare  of  day. 


GEORGE  W.  CABLE. 

George  W.  Cable  was  born  in  New  Orleans, 
October  12,  1844.  His  ancestors  on  his  father's 
side  were  from  Virginia,  and  on  his  mother's 
from  New  England.  His  parents  removed  to  New 
Orleans  in  1837.  At  fourteen,  he  was  obliged  to 
leave  school  and  go  to  work  to  help  the  family 
financially.  He  was  employed  in  the  Custom 
House,  and  then  in  a  dry  goods  store  until  he  was 
eighteen,  when  he  entered  the  Confederate  army 
(1862).  After  the  Civil  War,  he  studied  civil 
engineering ;  on  a  surveying  expedition  along  the 
banks  of  the  Atchafalaya  river  he  caught  swamp 
fever  from  which  he  suffered  for  six  years.  At 
twenty-five  (in  1869)  he  married  Miss  Louise 
Bartlett  of  New  Orleans. 

He  next  became  a  bookkeeper  in  a  cotton  firm, 
began  writing  for  the  Picayune  and  some  Eastern 
magazines,  and  was  finally  treasurer  of  the  New 
Orleans  Cotton  Exchange  until  1879,  the  year 
that  his  "  Old  Creole  Days  "  was  published. 

Mr.  Cable's  Creole  stories  gained  for  him  im 
mediate  recognition  and  popularity.  Like  Bret 
Harte,  he  had  the  good  luck  to  discover  an  un- 
gleaned  field,  ripe  for  the  harvester.  We  had  all 
heard  of  New  Orleans,  the  City  of  the  Carnivals, 
but  we  never  knew  her  until  he  led  us  through 
her  narrow,  antique  streets  in  the  old  French 
(216) 


GEORGE    W.    CABLE.  217 

quarter,  and  pointed  out  the  old  mouldering  houses 
with  their  overhanging  balconies  and  mediaeval 
air.  He  swung  open  on  their  creaking  hinges  the 
doors  of  time-battered  mansions,  musty  with  the 
pungent  odors  of  departed  generations,  and  intro 
duced  us  to  the  stately,  bewigged  and  diamond- 
powered  matrons,  the  courtly  and  chivalrous  cav 
aliers,  and  the  bevies  of  volatile  brunettes  in 
summer  dress  and  buckled  slippers  who  loiter  on 
the  shaded  piazzas  and  in  the  cool  corridors. 
Here,  at  our  very  doors,  was  an  enchanted  land, 
a  terra  incognita  to  us.  A  province  of  la  belle 
France,  a  corner  of  Moorish  Spain,  transplanted 
upon  our  soil,  deep-rooted  and  flourishing;  and 
we,  grown  sordid  and  cold-blooded  in  our  fever 
ish  daily  grasping  after  power  and  at  dollars  and 
cents,  were  all  unconscious  and  unappreciative 
of  this  calm,  unimpassioned  life  of  these  light- 
hearted,  effervescent,  care-free  Latins  I 

Mr.  Cable  has  interpreted  and  recorded  forever 
the  traditions  and  the  social  life  of  the  Creoles 
of  Louisiana  in  fiction,  just  as  surely  as  Mr. 
Gayarre  has  their  legends  and  achievements  in 
history. 

This  is  the  impression  Mr.  Cable's  books  makes 
upon  one  who  is  not  familiar  with  the  Creoles  of 
New  Orleans  and  Louisiana.  In  December,  1903, 
I  spent  a  week  in  New  Orleans  gathering  materials 
for  this  book;  I  was  not  in  the  city  but  a  few 
hours  that  I  felt  the  frigidity  with  which  Mr. 
Cable's  name  was  received  whenever  I  mentioned 
it.  The  Creoles  of  New  Orleans  denounce  Mr. 


218     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Cable  with  an  emphasis  that  is  not  to  be  mis 
taken.  They  assert  that  he  has  maligned  their 
race,  that  he  has  maliciously  caricatured  them 
and  satirized  their  traditions.  Furthermore, 
they  say  that  he  has  done  them  an  irreparable 
wrong  —  that  while  not  so  stating  in  plain  lan 
guage,  still  he  has  conveyed  to  Eastern  readers 
the  idea  that  the  Creoles  have  a  strain  of  negro 
blood;  and,  again,  that  he  has  drawn  his  heroes 
and  heroines  from  among  the  quadroons  and  octa- 
roons  and  ignored  the  heroic  element  in  the 
pure  whites  (a  sin  of  omission,  rather  than  of 
commission,  as  I  understand  this  latter  accusa 
tion). 

Mr.  Gayarre,  1'Abbe  Rouquette  and  Professor 
Fortier  have  published  pamphlets  on  this  subject ; 
I  regret  to  say  that  I  was  unable  to  procure 
copies  of  them.  I  leave  this  question  to  Mr. 
Cable  and  his  critics ;  I  confess  that  I  am  not 
sufficiently  conversant  with  the  points  at  issue,  to 
hazard  an  opinion. 

Mr.  Cable's  books  are:  "Old  Creole  Days  " 
(1879);  "TheGrandissimes"  (1880)  ;  "Madame 
Delphine  (1881);  "Dr.  Sevier  "  (1883);  "The 
Creoles  of  Louisiana"  (1884);  "The  Silent 
South"  (1885);  "  John  March,  Southerner" 
(1886);  "  Bonadventure  "  (1888);  "Strong 
Hearts"  (1888);  "Strange  True  Stories  of 
Louisiana  ' '  ( 1888  )  ;  "  The  Cavalier  "  (1901); 
"  Bylow  Hill"  (1902),— these  were  all  pub 
lished  in  New  York.  "The  New  Orleans  Guide 
Book"  was  published  in  New  Orleans,  in  1884, 


GEORGE    W.    CABLE.  219 

and  "  The  Busy  Man's  Bible  "  etc.,  in  Meadville, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1891. 

In  "  The  Cavalier "  and  "BylowHill"  Mr. 
Cable  has  invaded  a  new  field  and — has  failed. 

Since  about  eighteen  or  twenty  years,  Mr. 
Cable  has  resided  at  Northampton,  Massachusetts. 


STANLEY  WATERLOO. 

Stanley  Waterloo  of  Chicago  (formerly  of  St. 
Louis,  and  later  on  of  St.  Paul),  was  born  in  St. 
Clair  County,  Michigan,  in  1847.  The  first  ten 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  the  backwoods  of 
the  northwestern  frontier,"  which  accounts  for 
the  intimate  knowledge  of  nature  he  displays  in 
many  of  his  books.  He  is,  says  the  Toronto 
Globe,  "  one  of  the  best  of  nature's  delineators." 

Out  on  this  frontier,  he  learned  more  of  the 
ways  and  doings  of  the  pioneers,  hunters  and 
early  settlers  than  of  aught  else,  and  grew  up 
skillful  with  rifle,  trap  and  fishing  line.  But, 
thanks  to  his  mother,  who  at  one  time  had  been 
a  school  teacher,  his  education  was  not  entirely 
neglected.  Subsequently,  he  attended  the  Uni 
versity  of  Michigan,  but  did  not  graduate. 

In  1870,  he  went  to  Chicago  to  study  law, 
but  soon  drifted  into  journalism.  After  the 
great  Chicago  fire  of  1871,  he  removed  to  St. 
Louis  and  there  became  one  of  the  proprietors 
of  the  Evening  Journal.  He  shortly  left  the 
Journal,  and  during  the  following  twelve  or 
thirteen  years,  he  successively  edited,  or  served 
on  the  editorial  staff  of,  The  Missouri  Repub 
lican  (now  the  Republic},  the  Evening  Chron 
icle  and  the  Globe- Democrat.  He  next  appears 
in  St.  Paul,  where  he  began  the  publication  of 
(220) 


STANLEY    WATERLOO.  221 

T/te  Day .  The  paper  not  proving  to  be  a  finan 
cial  success,  it  was  sold  to  the  proprietors  of  the 
Dispatch,  and  Mr.  Waterloo  removed  to  Chicago 
to  till  a  position  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the 
Ti'lhnne.  From  the  Tribune,  he  became  con 
nected  editorially  with  the  Mail,  the  Times  and 
the  Evening  Journal,  respectively,  during  the 
succeeding  seven  or  eight  years,  and  until  he 
turned  his  attention  almost  exclusively  to  litera 
ture.  He  lately  served  two  terms  as  president 
of  the  Chicago  Press  Club. 

His  lirst  book  was  a  novel,  "  A  Man  and  a 
Woman"  (Chicago,  1892),  which  is  now  in  its 
nineteenth  American  edition,  and  has  gone 
through  several  English  editions.  This  work  is 
an  analytical  story  of  unordinary  power  and 
highly  interesting  as  a  study;  "added  to  the 
interest  of  the  tale,  is  the  clear-cut,  lucid  and 
finished  style  in  which  it  is  written"  (Chicago 
Herald).  After  "A  Man  and  a  Woman" 
followed:  "The  Seekers",  "Armageddon", 
"  The  Story  of  a  Strange  Career  ",  "  The  Wolf's 
Long  Howl  ",  "  The  Story  of  Ab  "  and  "  These 
are  My  Jewels."  Of  these,  "The  Story  of  Ab  " 
displays  a  depth  of  scientific  knowledge  and  re 
search  which  are  rarely  to  be  found  in  the  nov 
elists  of  to-day.  It  is  a  story  of  the  pre-historic 
cave  dweller,  the  early  man.  The  climate,  the 
fauna,  the  human  beings  and  their  ways  and 
daily  life,  are  as  accurately  rendered  as  science 
and  history  can  approximate  them. 

The  majority  of  Mr.    Waterloo's  books  have 


222     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

been  issued  from  New  York  and  London.  They 
have  obtained  a  positive  foothold  in  England, 
and  are  a  financial  success  to  his  English  pub 
lisher.  But  few  of  the  American  novelists  of 
to-day  can  lay  claim  to  an  established  English 
market. 

Mr.  Waterloo  is  a  patient,  indefatigable  stu 
dent,  and  he  justly  merits  all  the  success  he  has 
met  with  at  home  and  abroad. 

The  selection  given  below  is  from  one  of  his 
"  lighter"  articles. 


MOTHER  COON. 
(From  The  National  Progress.   1903.} 

Frogs  dream  just  like  other  people,  and  their  dreams  are 
justified  by  lurking  dangers  which  mean  death  to  the  frog. 
The  greatest  dangers  to  the  frog  are  the  things  with  long 
legs  and  the  long,  piercing  bill,  and  another  thing  with  four 
legs  and  a  tail  which  is  ringed  about  most  beautifully.  I 
suppose  I  know  more  than  other  frogs,  because  I  listen  so 
much  to  the  human  beings  talking  on  the  banks,  and  one  day  I 
heard  a  great  scientist  tell  what  was  bad  for  frogs.  He  said 
that  the  two  greatest  enemies  of  the  frogs  were  the  small 
green  heron  and  the  coon  —  I  suppose  I  should  say 
"  raccoon  "  because  that  is  the  full  name  of  the  murderous 
thing. 

Well,  Mother  Coon  used  to  come  swimming  down  from 
the  up-waters  of  the  creek,  with  four  young  coons  swinging 
behind  her,  and  they  were  very  beautiful.  Once  in  a  while 
Father  Coon  would  come  swinging  loaflngly  behind  them, 
but  I  did  not  fear  him  as  much  as  I  did  Mother  Coon.  He 
was  heavy  and  strong,  but  he  was  not  so  quick  as  Mother 
Coon.  There  was  something  devilish  about  Mother  Coon. 
As  she  entered  the  pond,  and  swam  quickly  through  it  with 
her  brood  behind  her,  she  seemed  to  see  everything  that 
was  lying  under  the  lily-pads.  There  was  a  swift  twitch 


STANLEY    WATERLOO.  223 

of  her  neck,  so  swift  that  I  cannot  tell  about  it,  and  she  had 
seen  and  torn  from  the  mud  another  hiding  frog  and  tossed 
it  back;  to  be  eaten  by  her  children.  They  tore  it  to  pieces, 
and  it  gave  one  strange  little  squeak  before  it  died.  That 
squeak  has  always  bothered  me  in  my  dreams. 

Mother  Coon  came  down  at  least  once  a  week,  and  there 
were  five  hundred  of  us  frogs  in  the  pond  in  August,  and 
there  were  only  two  hundred  in  the  beginning  of  October, 
And  yet  I  could  not  help  admiring  Mother  Coon.  She  was 
so  beautif  nl,  with  her  keen  eyes  and  her  sharp  nose  and  her 
regard  for  the  welfare  of  her  children.  And  the  funny  thing 
about  it  all  was  that  I  had  a  sort  of  sympathy  with  her, 
despite  the  fact  that  she  or  her  children  would  have  eaten 
me  if  I  had  not  wallowed  so  deeply  in  the  mud.  She  had  her 
own  troubles,  and  they  were  mighty  serious  ones.  Johnny 
Smith  had  seen  her  once.  Johnny  Smith  had  told  his 
father's  hired  man,  Bill  Jones,  that  there  was  a  coon  rang 
ing  along  the  creek,  and  so  they  came  down  one  night  with 
the  hound.  |That  hound  was  the  funniest  looking  animal 
that  ever  breathed.  Of  course  a  frog  can't  be  expected  to 
know  much  about  dogs  or  breeds ;  but  that  dog  was  certainly 
the  most  abnormal  production  in  a  canine  way  that  ever 
was.  He  seemed  to  be  a  cross  between  a  hound  and  an 
apple  tree.  He  had  short  legs  and  thought  he  could  run  — 
but  he  couldn't!  Nevertheless,  he  had  the  scent  in  his 
nostrils  of  generations  of  hounds  and  terriers,  and  he  could 
follow  what  he  pleased.  If  Mother  Coon  had  passed  that 
night  he  knew  it,  and  the  only  safety  for  Mother  Coon  was 
sweeping  down  the  river  and  getting  somewhere  into  the 
recesses^below,  and  hiding  herself  in  some  great  hollow 
tree.  Things  seem  to  equalize  themselves,  don't  they? 
Mother  Coon  was  my  nightmare,  and  that  imitation  of  a 
hound  was  Mother  Coon's  nightmare,  and  I  guess  her 
dreams  were  worse  than  mine! 


JOHN  R.  MUSICK. 

John  R.  Musick,  author,  journalist  and  politi 
cian,  was  born  in  St.  Louis  County,  Missouri, 
February  28,  1849,  and  died  in  Omaha,  Ne 
braska,  April  14th,  1901.  Injuries  which  he 
received  while  assisting  in  the  rescue  of  the  in 
jured  after  a  cyclone  at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  a 
few  years  previously,  were  the  causes  which  led 
to  his  death. 

Mr.  Musick  graduated  at  the  Northern  Mis 
souri  State  Normal  School  in  1874;  he  then 
studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1877, 
and  opened  an  office  at  Kirksville,  Missouri. 
There  he  practiced  until  1882.  The  remainder 
of  his  life  was  devoted  to  journalism  and  litera 
ture. 

He  published:  "Calamity  Row",  "The 
Mysterious  Mr.  Howard",  "Brother  against 
Brother",  "Nature's  Nobleman"  and  "His 
Brother's  Crime  ",  in  the  last  half  of  the  eighties, 
and  "  Stories  of  Missouri"  (New  York,  1897). 
"Brother  against  Brother "  is  a  story  of  the 
Civil  War.  Those  who  believe  it  good  policy  to 
revive  the  bitter  memories  of  the  Civil  War,  will 
find  the  story  interesting  and  pleasant.  In  "  Na 
ture's  Nobleman  ",  he  depicts  life  and  portrays 
characters  as  he  finds  them.  He  lacks  a  suffi 
cient  depth  of  insight,  and  does  not  carry  his 
(224) 


JOHN    R.    MUSICK.  225 

analysis  as  far  as  he  should.  In  "Calamity 
Row"  he  introduces  a  multitude  of  characters: 
stock  operators,  medical  students,  shop  girls, 
dock  *  rats  ',  street  urchins,  etc.,  etc.  They  go 
through  a  multitude  of  rapid  changes  and  ex 
periences.  This  is  probably  the  worst  of  Mr. 
Musick's  novels. 

Mr.  Musick  devoted  the  last  years  of  his  life 
to  writing  popular  historical  works.  To  this 
class  belong  :  "  Hawaii ;  our  New  Possessions  ", 
"  The  War  with  Spain",  "  Lights  and  Shadows 
of  the  War  with  Spain  ' '  and  '  *  Cuba  Libre  ' ' . 
But  his  most  ambitious  work  was  the  series 
entitled  "The  Columbian  Historical  Novels" 
(New  York,  completed  in  1897),  in  which  he 
attempts  the  portrayal  of  the  customs,  manners, 
and  every-day  life  of  the  peoples  of  the  various 
periods  from  the  discovery  of  America  to  the 
end  of  the  Civil  War.  The  work  is  in  twelve 
volumes.  Mr.  Musick  told  me  that  he  had 
spent  ten  years  in  research  for  the  matter  used 
in  these  volumes  and  that  it  took  him  a  little 
over  two  years  to  write  them. 

He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Mis 
souri  Republican  State  Committee.  He  was 
twice  president  of  the  Authors'  Guild  of  New 
York  City,  and  was  several  times  Grand  Chan 
cellor  Commander  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of 
the  State  of  Missouri.  He  served  ten  years  as 
United  States  Commissioner  at  Kirksville,  Mis 
souri  . 

15 


22()      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


AN  ADVENTURE  OF  AUDUBON. 

(From  the  St.  Louis  Magazine.   1886.) 

Audubon  reached  the  cabin  in  the  wilderness  and  present 
ing  himself  at  the  door,  asked  a  tall,  ungainly  looking  woman 
if  he  might  find  shelter  beneath  her  roof  during  the  night. 
She  was  by  no  means  prepossessing  in  appearance;  her  voice 
was  gruff,  and  her  attire  negligently  thrown  about  her,  gave 
her  a  slatternly  appearance.  As  he  entered  the  hut  and 
seated  himself  on  a  rude  stool  before  the  fire,  he  discovered 
a  finely  formed  young  Indian  squatting  in  one  corner,  rest 
ing  his  head  between  his  hands  and  with  his  elbows  on  his 
knees.  A  long  bow  rested  against  the  log  wall  near  him, 
while  a  quiver  of  arrows  and  two  or  three  raccoon  skins  lay 
at  his  feet.  He  paid  no  attention  to  Audubon;  he  did  not 
move,  and  scarcely  seemed  to  breathe.  The  scientist  was 
accustomed  to  the  habits  of  the  Indians,  and  knowing  they 
pay  little  attention  to  civilized  strangers,  did  not  think  the 
conduct  of  this  young  man  unnatural.  Many  of  the  Indians 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley  spoke  French,  and  Audubon 
addressed  him  in  that  language. 

The  savage  evidently  understood  him,  for  raising  his  head 
he  pointed  to  one  of  his  eyes,  and  at  the  same  time  giving 
him  a  significant  look  with  the  other.  Audubon  was  horri 
fied  to  find  his  noble  young  face  covered  with  blood.  He 
afterwards  ascertained  that  an  hour  before  his  arrival,  as  the 
Indian  was  in  the  act  of  discharging  an  arrow  at  a  raccoon 
in  the  top  of  a  tree,  the  arrow  split  upon  the  cord  and 
sprang  back  with  such  violence  into  his  right  eye  as  to 
destroy  it  forever. 

His  long  tramp  had  made  Audubon  hungry,  and  he  asked 
his  uncouth  hostess  if  she  could  not  furnish  him  with  some 
supper.  She  answered  that  there  was  plenty  of  venison  and 
jerked  buffalo  meat,  and  on  removing  the  ashes  from  the 
hearth  she  procured  a  cake.  Such  a  thing  as  a  bed  was  not 
to  be  seen,  but  there  was  a  pile  of  untanned  bear  and  buffalo 
hides  in  the  corner  which  might  answer  for  a  bed  on  the 
present  occasion. 

"  Am  I  to  sleep  there?  "  he  asked. 

The  woman  glanced  at  the  skins  and  nodded  assent.     She 


JOHN    R.    MUSICK.  227 

was  a  strong  mixture  of  French  and  Spanish.  Though  not 
an  Indian,  she  was  more  than  a  savage.  She  was  one  of 
those  early  settlers  who  had  sought  the  frontier  as  a  port  of 
safety  from  the  violated  laws  of  civilization. 

Having  satisfied  the  demands  of  his  appetite,  he  helped 
his  dog  to  a  good  supper  before  retiring.  The  Indian  rose 
from  his  seat  as  if  in  extreme  suffering.  He  passed  and  re- 
passed  Audubon  several  times,  and  once  pinched  him  on  the 
side  so  severely  as  to  almost  evoke  an  exclamation  of  anger. 
But  when  he  had  started  up,  his  eye  met  the  Indian's,  and 
the  look  was  so  forbidding  as  to  chill  the  nervous  scientist. 
It  was  not  a  threatening,  but  a  warning  look,  so  full  of 
strange  meaning  as  to  mystify  and  alarm  Audubon.  Having 
accomplished  his  purpose,  the  Indian  agent  seated  himself, 
drew  an  ugly  looking  knife  from  its  greasy  scabbard  and 
examined  its  edge  as  one  would  a  razor  suspected  of  being 
dull,  replaced  it,  and  taking  his  tomahawk  from  his  back, 
tilled  the  pipe  with  tobacco  and  proceeded  to  smoke.  When 
their  hostess  chanced  to  have  her  back  turned  toward 
them,  he  sent  Audubon  expressive  glances.  Never  until 
that  moment  had  the  great  ornithologist's  senses  been  fully 
awakened  to  the  danger  which  threatened  him.  He  re 
turned  glance  for  glance  with  his  companion,  aud  felt 
assured  that  whatever  enemies  there  might  be  about  him, 
the  Indian  was  not  one  of  their  number. 

At  last  realizing  that  his  position  was  somewhat  perilous, 
he  asked  the  woman  for  his  watch,  wound  it  up,  and  under 
pretence  of  wishing  to  see  what  kind  of  weather  they  would 
have  on  the  morrow,  took  up  his  gun  and  walked  out  of  the 
cabin.  He  could  have  easily  escaped,  but  beyond  a  few 
significant  gestures  from  the  young  Indian,  he  felt  that  he 
had  no  assurance  that  the  woman  was  not  honest.  Besides 
the  dangers  of  the  forest  might  be  equal  to  any  that  threat 
ened  him  in  the  cabin.  He  slipped  a  ball  into  each  barrel  of 
his  gun,  scraped  the  flint,  renewed  the  priming  and  re- 
entered  the  hut  with  a  favorable  report  of  his  observations. 
Calling  his  faithful  dog  to  him,  he  laid  down  with  his  gun  at 
his  side,  and  in  a  few  moments  was  fast  asleep.  But  he 
had  no  intention  of  losing  his  consciousness.  The  young 
Indian  still  sat  in  a  corner  of  the  hut,  and  occasionally  cast 
a  glance  at  the  corner  where  the  scientist  lay. 

But  a  short  time  had  elapsed   when   voices  were  heard, 


228      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

and  from  the  corner  of  his  eyes,  Audubon  saw  two  athletic 
young  men,  bearing  a  dead  stag  on  a  pole  between  them, 
entering  the  door.  They  threw  down  their  burden  and 
called  for  whiskey. 

The  young  hunters  had  soon  eaten  and  drunken  them 
selves  into  an  almost  helpless  condition.  The  feelings  of 
Audubon  can  be  better  imagined  than  described,  when  he 
saw  his  female  fiend  incarnate  take  a  large  carving  knife 
ar.d  go  deliberately  to  a  grind-stone  which  stood  near  the 
fireplace,  and  proceed  to  grind  it.  One  of  her  drunken  sons 
turned  the  machine,  while  she  poured  on  water  and  held 
down  the  glittering  blade,  grinding  away  and  pausing  every 
few  minutes  to  test  the  keenness  of  the  edge.  They  could 
not  have  been  more  deliberate  had  they  set  about  killing  a  hog. 

All  was  ready.  The  hideous  old  hag  was  advancing,  prob  - 
ably  contemplating  the  best  way  of  dispatching  the  white 
man  while  her  sons  should  be  engaged  with  the  Indian. 
Audubon  was  several  times  on  the  eve  of  rising  and  shooting 
her  dead  on  the  spot,  —  but  she  was  not  destined  to  be  pun 
ished  in  that  manner.  The  door  suddenly  opened  and  there 
entered  two  stout  travelers,  each  with  a  long  rifle  on  his 
shoulder,  Audubon  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  shout  of  joy, 
and  heartily  welcomed  them,  told  them  how  well  it  was  for 
him  that  they  had  arrived  at  that  moment.  The  whole  was 
told  in  a  minute.  The  drunken  sons  were  arrested,  and 
though  the  hag  fought  like  a  tigress  she  was  knocked  down 
and  shared  a  similar  fate.  The  Indian  danced  for  joy,  and 
by  signs  giving  them  to  understand  that  he  could  not  sleep 
for  pain,  informed  them  that  he  would  remain  on  guard. 

Day  came  and  with  it  the  punishment  of  the  captives. 
They  were  now  quite  sobered.  Their  feet  were  unbound, 
but  their  arms  left  securely  tied.  Marching  them  in  the 
woods  off  the  road,  and  having  served  them  as  regulators 
were  wont  to  use  such  miscreants,  they  gave  all  the  skins 
and  furs  to  the  young  Indian,  set  fire  to  the  cabin  and  pro 
ceeded  to  the  settlement.  Audubon  says  that  during  the 
twenty- five  years  of  his  wanderings  all  over  the  country, 
this  was  the  only  time  his  life  was  in  danger  from  his  fellow 
creatures.  Fifteen  years  later  he  traveled  over  the  same 
ground;  a  marked  change  had  taken  place.  The  country 
was  dotted  with  farm  houses,  villages  and  fertile  fields,  and 
there  were  good  substantial  roadside  inns  where  the  weary 
traveler  could  rest  without  danger. 


MRS.  E.  J.  NICHOLSON. 

Let  the  people  of  New  Orleans  hear  that  you 
are  writing  a  book  in  which  their  local  authors 
will  be  noticed,  and  you  will  be  told  right  and 
left,  in  the  bookstores,  on  the  streets,  in  the 
hotel  corridors  —  "  Don't  forget  Pearl  Rivers!" 

As  "  Pearl  Rivers"  published  only  one  vol 
ume  and  a  very  small  pamphlet,  the  attachment 
of  the  people  of  New  Orleans  to  their  dead 
poetess  is  simply  beautiful.  In  St.  Louis,  ex 
cept  by  a  handful  of  literary  scholars,  "  Pearl 
Rivers  "  would  have  been  forgotten  within  thirty 
days.  "  Pearl  Rivers"  was  Eliza  J.  Poitevant. 
She  was  born  on  the  banks  of  Pearl  river,  in 
Hancock  County,  Mississippi.  Her  ancestors 
were  Huguenots  who  settled  in  Mississippi  after 
the  edict  of  Nantes.  On  account  of  her  mother's 
poor  health,  she  was  taken  in  charge  and  reared 
by  a  childless  aunt.  Her  home  was  a  rambling 
old  country  house  surrounded  by  deep  woods. 
Here,  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  with  the  com 
panionship  of  birds  and  flowers  and  the  smaller 
^wild  animals,  she  grew  up  loving  nature  and 
dreaming  poems.  While  still  almost  a  mere  girl, 
she  contributed  poems  to  Bonner's  ^Vew  York 
Ledger  and  Willis  and  Morris'  Home  Journal 
which  attracted  the  attention  of  Mr.  A.M.  Hoi- 
brook,  the  proprietor  of  the  New  Orleans  Pica- 

(229) 


230      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

yune,  who  tendered  her  the  literary  editorship 
of  his  paper,  which  she  accepted. 

Some  two  years  subsequently  she  married  Mr. 
Holbrook.  A  few  years  later  he  died,  leaving 
her  the  paper  which  was  heavily  mortgaged  and 
financially  worthless.  Through  the  influence  of 
Mr.  George  Nicholson,  the  business  manager, 
Mrs.  Holbrook  concluded  to  continue  the  publi 
cation  of  the  paper.  She  assumed  the  editorial 
charge,  and  so  ably  did  she  conduct  the  Pica 
yune,  that  before  her  death  the  debt  was  paid 
and  it  was  on  a  sound  financial  basis,  and  with  a 
largely  increased  circulation.  Furthermore,  its 
reputation  was  re-established — for  it  must  be 
confessed  that  the  Picayune  had  sadly  fallen  in 
public  estimation  since  the  days  when  George 
W.  Kendall  made  it  a  household  word  to  our 
fathers. 

Mrs.  Holbrook  married  Mr.  Nicholson  in  1878. 
She  died  in  189(5,  leaving  two  sons.  She  was 
the  first  woman  in  the  South  who  engaged  prac 
tically  in  newspaper  publishing.  After  she 
assumed  charge  of  the  Picayune,  she  wrote  very 
little  poetry.  The  poetess  had  given  place  to 
the  business  woman,  and  business  cares  absorbed 
all  her  time  and  brain.  She  left  us  only  one 
volume,  "Lyrics,  by  Pearl  Rivers".  A  pamphlet 
of  twelve  pages  was  published  after  her  death, 
with  the  title  of,  "Two  Poems.  By  'Pearl 
Rivers'  (Mrs.  E.  J.  Nicholson.)  Born,  1849; 
Died,  1896". 


MRS.    E.    J.    NICHOLSON.  231 


SINGING  HEART. 

The  world  has  bruised  the  singing  heart, 

It  has  wept  tears  like  dew; 
And  Slander,  with  a  poisoned  dart, 

Has  pierced  it  through  and  through. 

But  singing  hearts  are  hard  to  kill, 
And  God  made  mine  with  wings 

To  fly  above  all  earthly  ill; 
And  so  it  lives  and  sings. 


HAGAR. 

(From  "  Two  Poems.  ") 
*     *     *     Go  back ! 

Why  do  you  follow  me?     I  am  a  poor 
Bondswoman,  but  a  woman  still,  and  these 
Sad  memories,  so  bitter  and  so  sweet, 
Weigh  heavily  upon  my  breaking  heart 
And  make  it  hard,  my  lord  —  for  me  to  go. 
"  Your  God  commands  it?"    Then  my  gods,  the  gods 
Of  Egypt,  are  more  merciful  than  yours. 
Isis  and  good  Osiris  never  gave 
Command  like  this,  that  breaks  a  woman's  heart, 
To  any  prince  in  Egypt.     Come  with  me 
And  let  us  go  and  worship  them,  dear  lord. 
Leave  all  your  wealth  to  Sara.     Sara  loves 
The  touch  of  costly  linen  and  the  scent 
Of  precious  Chaldean  spices,  and  to  bind 
Her  brow  with  golden  fillets,  and  perfume 
Her  hair  with  ointment.     Sara  loves  the  sound 
Of  many  cattle  lowing  on  the  hills; 
And  Sara  loves  the  slow  and  stealthy  tread 
Of  many  camels  moving  on  the  plains. 
Hagar  loves  you.     Oh!  come  with  me,  dear  lord. 
Take  but  your  staff  and  come  with  me.     Your  mouth 
Shall  drink  my  share  of  water  from  this  jug* 
And  eat  my  share  of  bread  with  Ishniael ; 


232     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

And  from  your  lips  I  will  refresh  myself 

With  love's  sweet  wine  from  tender  kisses  pressed. 

Ah!  come,  dear  lord.     Oh!  come,  my  Abraham. 

Nay,  do  not  bend  your  cold,  stern  brows  on  me 

So  frowningly;  it  was  not  Hagar's  voice 

That  spoke  from  pleading  words. 

Go  back !     Go  back ! 

And  tell  your  God  I  hate  him,  and  I  hate 
The  cruel,  craven  heart  that  worships  him 
And  dare  not  disobey.     Ha!  I  believe 
'Tis  not  your  far-off,  bloodless  God"  you  fear, 
But  Sara.     Coward  !     Cease  to  follow  me ! 
Go  back  to  Sara.     See!  she  beckons  now, 
Hagar  loves  not  a  coward;  you  do  well 
To  send  me  forth  into  the  wilderness, 
Where  hatred  hath  no  weapon  keen  enough, 
That  held  within  a  woman's  slender  hand 
Could  stab  a  coward  to  the  heart. 

I  go! 

I  go,  my  lord;  proud  that  I  take  with  me 
Of  your  countless  herds  by  Hedron's  brook 
Of  all  your  Canaan  riches,  naught  but  this  — 
A  jug  of  water  and  a  loaf  of  bread, 
And  now,  by  all  of  Egypt's  gods,  I  swear 
If  it  were  not  for  Ishmael's  dear  sake 
My  feet  would  tread  upon  this  bitter  bread, 
My  hands  would  pour  this  water  on  the  sands; 
And  leave  this  jug  as  empty  as  my  heart 
Is  empty  now  of  all  the  reverence 
And  overflowing  love  it  held  for  you. 

I  go! 

But  I  will  teach  my  little  Ishmael 
To  hate  his  father  for  his  mother's  sake; 
His  bow  shall  be  the  truest  bow  that  flies 
Its  arrows  through  the  desert  air.     His  feet, 
The  fleetest  on  the  desert's  sands; 
Aye!     Hagar's  son  a  desert  prince  shall  be, 
Whose  hands  shall  be  against  all  other  men; 
And  he  shall  rule  a  fierce  and  mighty  tribe, 
Whose  fiery  hearts  and  supple  limbs  will  scorn 
The  chafing  curb  of  bondage,  like  the  fleet  wild 
horses  of  Arabia. 

I  go! 


MRS.    E.    J.    NICHOLSON.  233 

But  like  this  loaf  that  you  have  given  me, 

So  shall  your  bread  taste  bitter  with  my  hate; 

And  like  the  water  in  this  jug,  my  lord, 

So  shall  the  sweetest  water  that  you  draw 

From  Caaaan's  wells,  taste  salty  with  my  tears. 

Farewell!     I  go,  but  Egypt's  mighty  gods 

Will  go  with  me,  and  my  revenge  be, 

And  in  what  ever  distant  land  your  God, 

Your  cruel  God  of  Israel,  is  known, 

There,  too,  the  wrongs  that  you  have  done  this  day 

To  Hagar  and  your  first-born,  Ishmael, 

Shall  waken  and  uncoil  themselves,  and  hiss 

Like  adders  at  the  name  of  Abraham. 


JAMES  W.  BUEL. 

The  amount  of  literary  work  that  Mr.  James 
W.  Buel  of  St.  Louis,  can  do  in  a  given  time  is 
simply  marvelous.  Possibly,  no  living  author  has 
more  books  to  his  credit  than  he  has.  His  works 
are  sold  by  subscription  only,  and  have  an  aston 
ishing  circulation.  They  have  also  netted  him  a 
large  fortune. 

James  W.  Buel  was  born  in  Golconda,  Illinois, 
October  22,  1849.  He  is"  the  son  of  Alexander 
Hall  and  Sarah  Jones  Buel.  He  was  brought  up 
in  a  country  town  and  followed  the  trade  of  a 
tanner  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  in  the 
meantime  attending  a  country  school.  He  taught 
school  in  1867,  and  in  1868  won  a  scholarship 
(by  competitive  examination)  in  the  University 
of  Illinois,  which  he  attended  for  two  years,  at 
the  same  time  being  its  librarian.  He  left  col 
lege  before  graduating,  and  started  a  country 
newspaper  in  Spring  Hill,  Kansas.  Subse 
quently,  he  was  engaged  in  journalism  in  Kansas 
City  and  St.  Louis.  He  married  Eliza  Brewster 
of  Warsaw,  Illinois,  in  1871;  she  died  in  1896. 
In  1901,  he  married  Annie  E.  Hill  of  Minne 
apolis. 

Mr.  Buel  began  writing  books  in  1878,  and 
has  followed  the  literary  profession  ever  since. 
In  1882,  fortified  with  letters  from  Mr.  Freling- 
(234) 


JAMES    W.    BUEL.  235 

huyseu,  the  then  Secretary  of  State,  he  made  an 
extensive  tour  of  Kussia  and  Siberia,  visiting  the 
prisons  and  convict  mines  of  the  latter,  as  far 
east  as  Irkeetok,  and  north  to  Leneseisk.  He 
afterwards  made  many  trips  to  Europe  in  quest 
of  information  for  his  historical  works.  His 
principal  publications  are:  "Heroes  of  the 
Plains  "  (1881)  ;  "  Metropolitan  Life  Unveiled  " 
(1881);  "Exile  Life  in  Siberia"  (1882); 
"The  World's  Wonders"  (1884);  "Sea  and 
Land"  (1885);  "  The  Beautiful  Story  "  (1887); 
"Heroes  of  the  Dark  Continent"  (1889); 
"  Around  the  World  with  the  Great  Voyagers  " 
( 1890)  ;  "  The  Living  World  "  and  "  The  Story 
of  Man  "  (1891)  ;  "  Columbus  and  Columbia  " 
and  "The  Magic  City"  (1893);  "  Manual  of 
Self  Help"  and  "America's  Wonderlands" 
(1894);  "Beautiful  Paris"  (1895);  ""Roses 
and  Thorns  of  Paris  and  London"  (1897); 
"The  Great  Operas  "  (10  sections)  (1899); 
"  Great  Achievements  of  the  Century  ",  "  Hero 
Tales  "  and  "  McKinley  and  his  Times  "  (  1900) ; 
"  Library  of  American  History  "  (6  volumes) 
(1901) ;  and  "  The  Louisiana  Territory  and  Ex 
position  "  (10  volumes)  (1904). 

Besides  the  books  just  enumerated  he  has  co- 
laborated  with  the  Honorable  James  G.  Blame, 
the  Reverened  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  and  John 
Clark  llidpath  in  the  production  of  other  works 
which  do  not  bear  his  name. 


LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY, 


MAN. 
(From  "  The  Story  of 

The  story  of  man  is,  pre-eminently,  the  most  interesting, 
I  may  say  captivating,  study  with  which  the  human  mind 
can  concern  itself.  To  those  who  have  given  no  thought  to 
the  subject,  the  present  is  regarded  as  the  golden  age,  the 
highest  advance  yet  made  in  a  persistent  and  constant  ascent 
towards  the  summit  of  ambitious  attainment.  From  our 
position  we  may  look  down  upon  the  centuries  and  observe 
all  the  fruits  of  their  development.  But  to  the  student  of 
history,  and  especially  of  archaeology,  the  aspect  is  far  less 
flattering  to  our  vanity,  for  he  reads  in  the  resurrected 
relics  of  the  infinite  past  records  that  prove  how  man,  in  his 
efforts  to  reach  a  more  perfect  civilization,  retrograded  after 
each  advance,  just  as  the  tide  of  the  sea  recedes  as  often  as 
it  rises  to  the  flood. 

From  primeval  savagery,  with  its  discomforts,  disadvan 
tages  and  discouragements,  impenetrable  brakes,  dangerous 
animals,  the  fury  of  forces  not  comprehended,  and  the 
awe-iospiring  environments  that  emphasized  his  defense 
less  condition  —  a  very  babe  in  the  woods  —  man  has  grown 
by  slow  and  intermittent  advances  to  a  high  estate,  and 
established  himself  as  the  lord  of  creation,  the  master  of 
his  surroundings.  But  it  has  not  been  an  invariable  prog 
ress,  for,  like  Sisyphus,  he  has  tumbled  back  down  the  slope 
under  the  burden  of  the  varied  influences,  and  been  forced, 
time  and  again,  to  begin  anew  his  journey  from  the  valley 
of  barbarism.  Our  national  conceit,  the  estimate  we  place 
upon  our  achievements  in  the  framing  of  equitable  laws,  in 
inventions,  in  science,  learning  and  contributory  comforts, 
may,  as  it  should,  be  relieved  by  a  consideration  of  facts 
that  so  thoroughly  establish  the  truth  that  at  our  best  we 
are  but  imitators  of  those  who  lived  ages  ago,  while  in 
many  particulars  we  are  not  so  near  the  apex  of  perfect 
civilization  as  others  who  trod  the  upward  path  centuries 
before  our  era.  *  *  * 

Who  were  the  inventors,  the  promoters,  the  masters  of 
the  early  sciences?  Archimedes,  who  conceived  the  appli 
cation  of  the  lever?  Why,  the  lever  was  in  common  use 


JAMES    W.    BUEL.  237 

thousands  of  years  before  his  age;  so  was  the  screw,  so 
was  the  science  of  mathematics!  All  the  principles  and 
sciences,  as  also  that  of  specific  gravity,  were  thoroughly 
understood  and  applied  in  the  building  of  the  Egyptian 
pyramids,  and  there  is  the  best  of  evidence  to  prove  the 
statement  that  steam  power  was  also  employed  in  the  same 
great  work.  Did  Gutteuberg  invent  the  art  of  piinting? 
Why,  there  is  a  paper  in  China  that  has  been  issued  regu 
larly  for  more  than  two  thousand  years!  Did  Galileo  in 
vent  the  telescope?  Why,  the  Central  Americans,  before 
Galileo  lived,  knew  all  about  the  telescope,  were  familiar 
with  the  zodiac,  were  thorough  astronomers,  and  one  of  their 
most  ancient  sculptures  represents  a  man  on  an  observatory 
looking  through  a  telescope  and  making  an  astronomical 
observation!  Is  steel  a  discovery  of  the  nineteenth  cen 
tury?  Why,  steel  instruments  were  used  during  the  reign 
of  the  shepherd  kings  in  Egypt,  six  thousand  years  ago!  Is 
the  opera  glass  or  spy  glass,  an  instrument  evolved  from 
Galileo's  discovery?  Why,  Nero  used  a  gem  through  which 
to  view  the  gladiatorial  combats  in  the  arena  some  hundreds 
of  yards  distant  from  the  royal  box!  Mauritius  is  said  to 
have  owned  a  glass  through  which  he  could  distinctly  view 
the  coast  of  Africa  from  a  promontory  of  Sicily.  *  *  * 

And  so  I  might  introduce  many  more  examples  in  proof 
of  the  claim  that  civilizations  rise  and  fall  like  the  tides  of 
the  sea,  for  human  progress  is  so  intermittent  that  its  muta 
tions  are  like  the  motions  of  a  pendulum,  swinging  now  across 
the  valley  of  benighted  barbarism  and  up  the  gentle  slope 
towards  the  pinnacle  of  exaltation,  then  driven  back  by  ad 
verse  influences,  scourges,  devastating  wars,  immoralities, 
until,  gaining  momentum,  it  crosses  the  shadowy  abysses 
and  rises  to  the  peak  of  human  discouragement.  Here  the 
pendulum  pauses  until  the  gravity  of  ambition  pushes  it 
again  forward,  thus  imparting  a  reciprocal  impulse  which 
keeps  it  in  perpetual  motion.  And  over  this  line,  like  the 
wash  of  the  restless  sea  waves,  we  see  a  track  marked  by 
proud  monuments  and  moulding  ruins,  the  evidences  alike  of 
human  aspirations  and  disappointments. 


238      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


COLUMBUS. 
{From  '•  Columbus  and  Columbia.'"} 

The  story  of  Columbus  is  at  once  an  epic  ami  an  elegy; 
a  narration  of  bold  conception,  persistent  courage,  heroic 
attainment,  mingled  with  the  gall  of  national  ingratitude 
and  the  malevolence  of  personal  jealousies.  The  adven 
tures  of  the  Homeric  Ulysses  were  not  more  illustrious 
with  valor ;  the  afflictions  of  NIobe  were  not  more  tearful 
with  despair.  East  and  west  of  his  life  there  were  bitter 
ness  and  shadows:  radiant  Hope  tip-toeing  on  the  pedestal 
of  wonderous  accomplishments,  and  Faith  bowing  with 
grief  before  envious  and  invidious  rivalry.  No  character 
in  the  world's  history  was  ever  more  highly  honored  for 
chivalrous  achievement;  none  more  maligned  by  perfidy  or 
oppressed  by  the  spitefulness  of  malice.  He  was  a  product 
of  the  brave  days  of  old,  yet  was  he  a  victim  to  the  spirit  that 
gave  birth  to  intolerance  anl  persecution;  for  the  heroism 
that  sought  a  reclamation  of  the  holy  sepulcher;  that  pro 
duced  Ruy  Diaz  Campeador  (the  Cid);  that  measured 
lances  with  Mohammed-al-Nasir  on  the  decisive  and  bloody 
field  of  Las  Navas  de  Tolosa,  was  twin  brother  to  thetheop- 
athy  that  established  the  Inquisition. 

If  we  consider  the  slavishly  superstitious,  the  intolerantly 
bigoted,  the  audaciously  savage  age  in  which  he  lived, 
which  was  characterized  b?  the  most  desperate  impulses, 
we  shall  be  prepared  to  understand  and  to  appreciate  the 
disposition  and  proclivities  of  Columbus;  to  applaud  his 
courage,  and  to  condone  his  follies.  For  he  was  not  with 
out  human  frailties,  but  these  were  national  —  mediaeval  — 
rather  than  personal;  errors  of  the  times  rather  than  pas 
sions  peculiarly  his  owo.  His  was  an  age  when  so-called 
civilization  saw  no  wrong  in  banishing  Jews  and  confiscating 
their  property  to  convert  it  to  holy  purposes;  which  be 
lieved  that  true  piety  and  loyalty  to  God  were  be>t  mani 
fested  by  burning  heretics  at  the  stake  as  awful  examples, 
or  by  torturing  the  impious  until  they  confessed  the  vice  of 
their  unbelief;  for,  as  answered  Torquemada,  u  were  it 
not  better  to  sanctify  men  through  afflictions  of  the  flesh 
than  that  they  be  suffered  to  continue  in  their  evil  ways  to 


JAMES    W.     BUEL.  239 

the  loss  of  their  souls  and  their  damnation  through  all 
eternity?  " 

Cruel  as  these  horrific  measures  were,  and  barbarous  as 
the  beliefs  appear  to  us  now,  they  were  not  the  results  of 
human  depravity  or  moral  debasement;  so  far  from  this 
being  so,  the  people  were  wonderously  devout,  and  it  was 
the  intensity  of  their  religious,  pietistical  fervor  that  led 
them  to  adopt  extreme  methods  for  the  conversion  of  all 
men  to  the  true  faith,  for  they  honestly  believed  that  this 
would  alone  secure  for  them  salvation,  and  a  beatific  con 
dition  after  death.  "What!  "  argued  they,  '*  is  the  suffer 
ing  of  the  body  on  the  earth,  compared  with  the  results 
that  affect  the  endless  life  in  the  world  to  come?  "  They 
accordingly  accepted  literally  that  divine  injunction  which 
demanded,  or  required,  the  sacrifice  of  eye  or  hand  should 
they  offend,  and  gave  it  that  broader  significance  which  to 
them  justified  a  sacrifice  of  the  sinful  by  any  means  howso 
ever  cruel. 

Though  we  cannot  excuse  the  slavery  that  tormented  for 
opinion's  sake,  yet  it  is  not  entirely  just  to  hastily  condemn 
the  spirit  of  the  masses,  whose  pious  convictions  gave 
creation  to  the  Inquisition;  for  no  single  Church  bears  all 
the  odium  of  persecution  any  more  than  any  one  people  is 
chargeable  with  the  crime  of  bigoted  intolerance.  There 
have  been  transition  periods  in  the  life  of  all  beliefs,  and  of 
all  denominations,  during  which  the  dominant  sect  has 
shown  jealously  and  injustice.  When  the  time  shall  come 
that  such  a  spirit  is  dead,  then  may  we  conclude  that  there 
is  no  difference  of  opinion,  and  that  the  lion  and  the  lamb 
have  lain  down  in  perpetual  truce,  and  universal,  enduring 
peace  hath  possessed  the  world. 


MRS.  HENRY  L.  PRESTON. 

Mrs.  Henry  L.  Preston  of  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
has  made  the  noms-de-plume  of  "  Maude  Mere 
dith"  and  "Kit  Clover"  familiar  in  Western 
homes. 

Some  years  ago  she  naively  informed  me  that 
she  was  born  on  a  farm  (in  Vermont),  raised  on 
another,  married  a  farmer  from  another,  and 
went  to  housekeeping  in  Dubuque ;  later  on  she 
wrote  to  me:  "The  world  had  so  much  work 
undone  when  I  found  it,  that  I  have  been  busy 
ever  since  trying  to  set  it  right.  *  *  *  If  ever 
I  get  all  the  work  done  up,  and  catch  '  the  mid 
dle  of  my  seam-needle  ',  I  will  try  to  put  into 
readable  sentences  some  of  the  odd  visions  that 
float  through  my  brain  " .  She  further  confessed  : 
"  I  adore  music;  I  love  art  and  poetry,  and  - 
perfume  "  I 

"  Maude  Meredith  "  began  her  literary  career 

C  •/ 

in  the  pages  of  the  Chicago  Tribune  in  1880. 
In  1881,  she  published,  "  The  Rivulet  and  Clover 
Blooms"  (New  York  and  Chicago);  in  1883, 
appeared  "  St.  Julieu's  Daughter"  (Chicago), 
a  story  of  Dubuque  in  pioneer  days;  "  da- 
Money  Makers "  (Minneapolis,  1886);  "The 
Parson's  Sin"  (Chicago,  1892),  and  "  Win 
some  but  Wicked  "  (Chicago,  1892),  completes 
the  list  of  her  published  writings.  In  1884  she 
(240) 


MRS.    HENRY    L.    PRESTON.  241 

edited  The  Mid-Continent  of  Dubuque,  and  in 
1866,  The  Housekeeper  of  Minneapolis.  She  has 
been  a  frequent  contributor  to  The  Independent, 
the  Inter-Ocean,  the  Pioneer-Press,  The  St. 
Louis  Magazine,  The  Northwestern  Magazine, 
The  Hesperian,  Golden  Days,  The  Writer,  and 
other  periodicals. 

Mrs.  Preston  (until  lately,  Mrs.  Dwight  T. 
Smith)  is  now  about  fifty-five  years  of  age. 
She  is  live  feet,  three  inches  in  height,  has 
-parkling  dark  eyes,  abundant  black  hair,  a 
^mall  sensitive  mouth,  and  a  fair  complexion. 
Add  to  this  a  strong,  magnetic  presence,  and  an 
earnest,  candid  and  sympathetic  disposition. 

So  far.  Mrs.  Preston  has  attempted  none  of 
the  higher  fields  of  literature;  she  has  addressed 
herself  to  the  masses  of  readers  only,  and  quite 
singularly,  she  has  cleverly  avoided  the  Scylla 
and  the  Charybdis  of  the  popular  authoress  of 
the  day :  gush  and  sensationalism.  Her  special 
literary  sphere  has  been  poetry,  fiction,  and 
papers  on  subjects  of  general  home  and  house 
hold  interest  to  women ;  in  the  latter  department 
she  has  no  superior  among  western  writers. 
Her  poems  display  an  intimate  familiarity  with 
nature,  a  tender  longing  for,  and  out-reaching 
after,  the  good  and  the  beautiful,  a  passionate 
chafing  under  restraint,  and  a  calm,  subdued 
sadness. 

16 


LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


SATISFIED. 

I  have  asked  much. 
Much  have  I  asked  of  all  of  life's  best  living; 

And  I  would  take  from  out  life's  Land, 
But  only  gifts  that  were  by  far  the  best  of  giving,— 
No  duh  and  leaden  sands, 

My  hours  must  touch. 

I  have  asked  much. 
Much  have  I  asked  of  all  of  love's  beet  loving; 

Of  perfect  faith  in  dark  eyes  deep  and  true, 
And  soft  words  full  of  all  the  tenderest  proving 
That  none  save  warm  hearts  knew; 
I  would  have  much. 

And  this  beside: 
That  it  should  be  the  one  first  love  unbroken, 

No  faithless  trust,  no  patched  and  shattered  tie, 
And   I    should   know     the    truth   by    some    stronj 

bond  unspoken; 
This  have  I  asked.     And  I 
Am  satisfied. 


WILL  HE  GIVE   HIS  BELOVED  SLEEP? 

(From  The  St.  Louis  Magazine,  1886.} 
When  the  feet  are  worn  and  weary, 

When  the  e}es  grow  dim  with  tears, 
When  the  days  are  long  and  dreary, 

With  the  monotone  of  years, 
When  the  fainting  footsteps  falter 

lu  the  marshes  dark  and  deep, 
With  the  griefs  no  time  can  alter, 

Will  He  give  His  loved  ones  sleep? 

When  our  happiness  has  vanished, 
And  the  heart  is  worn  and  old  — 

Feeding  on  the  husks  is  famished 
With  a  hungering  untold  — 


MRS.     HENRY    L.    PRESTON.  243 

And  the  way  is  dark  and  lonely 

Up  the  rugged  mountain  steep. 
Faith  asks  the  assurance  only  — 

That  He  give  His  loved  ones  sleep. 

Will  He  lead  them  by  still  waters, 

In  the  pastures  fair  and  bright, 
Earth's  poor  heart-sick  sons  and  daughters, 

Out  from  darkness  into  light? 
Oh!  I  long  to  know  the  secrets 

The  eternal  silence  keeps, 
Will  we  lose  our  burden  some  day? 

Will  He  give  His  children  sleep? 

Will  there  come  a  day  of  resting, 

When  the  pain  and  toil  are  done? 
Done  the  penance  and  the  fasting, 

And  the  final  sands  are  run? 
Will  the  heart  forget  its  sorrows, 

And  the  eyes  forget  to  weep? 
Then  will  be  no  weary  morrows, 

If  He  gives  His  loved  ones  sleep. 


IS  LITERATURE    REMUNERATIVE? 

(From   The  Hesperian,  1899.} 

Ever  since  the  days  that  Jo,  rushing  away  from  the  arms 
of  Meg  and  Beth,  went  down  to  New  York,  and  earned  a 
livelihood  in  such  a  ready  offhand  manner  by  her  pen,  an 
easy  and  painless  way  for  thoughtless  authors  to  dispose  of 
all  impecunious  females,  has  been  by  the  broad  and  golden 
highway  of  literature. 

Has  an  author  a  poor  but  ambitious  young  lady  to  attend 
to?  He  wins  her  fame  and  fortune  —  always  fortune  —  by 
her  pen.  Has  he  a  struggling  and  overtaxed  wife  and  mother? 
Directly  she  gets  out  her  pen,  puts  her  inkpot  on  some  con 
venient  chair,  and,  with  a  crowd  of  little  ones  clinging  to 
her  skirts,  she  crouches  down  upon  a  faded  ottoman  and 
writes,  and  lo!  the  flour  barrel  is  filled,  the  family  clothed, 
and  the  mortgage  paid  off  on  the  little  homestead.  Has  the 
author  a  moneyless  widow  who  has  been  reared  in  luxury, 


244     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

and  has  now  fallen  upon  evils  days?  In  a  cheerless  garret 
she  wraps  her  shawl  about  her  shoulders,  and  drawing  from 
her  trunk  quires  of  heavy  cream-tinted  paper  —  remnants  of 
her  better  circumstances  —  she  begins  a  literary  career  that 
ends  in  fame  and  fortune. 

It  in  no  way  hinders  the  success  of  those  people  —  does 
the  fact  that  they  have  never  before  written  a  word  for  the 
press,  — never  even  considered  the  essentials  of  a  good 
poem  or  novel;  and  we  are  forced  to  conclude  that  writing 
acceptably  is  such  a  very  easy  matter,  that  one  has  only  to 
feel  the  need  of  money  in  order  to  be  forced,  as  it  were, 
into  a  pleasant  occupation,  and,  above  all,  a  money-making 
one. 

Now  this  is  all  a  sadly  mistaken  notion,  and  it  not  only 
lowers  all  literary  'achievement  in  the  minds  of  people 
in  other  walks  of  life,  but  it  leads  to  a  world  of  dssappoint- 
ment  among  aspiring  beginners,  and  as  a  natural  conse 
quence —  though  this  is  of  small  account  —  to  a  world  of 
blame  heaped  upon  creditors,  who,  poor  souls,  are  in  no 
way  accountable  for  this  state  of  affairs.  *  *  * 

When  our  story  writers  leave  the  field  of  fancy  and  base 
the  success  of  their  heroes  und  heroines  on  probabilities, 
then  we  will  read  that  to  become  a  successful  writer  one 
must  have  education,  a  wide  knowledge  of  the  world,  a 
pleasant  style,  and  a  geniune  talent  for  writing. 

It  is  quite  time  that  a  reaction  sets  in,  and  that  the  young 
lady  stuck  to  her  school,  the  poor  widow  took  a  responsible 
position  as  housekeeper,  and  the  struggling  wife  kept  a 
couple  of  cows  and  sold  pure  milk  to  her  neighbors,  all  of 
which  would  bring  more  money  than  a  score  of  ink-pots  in 
the  hands  of  an  army  of  amateur  writers. 


ALCEE  FORTIER. 

Alcee  Fortier  was  born  June  5,  1850,  in  St. 
James  Parish,  Louisiana.  His  father,  Florent 
Fortier,  was  a  sugar  planter,  and  his  mother, 
Eclwige  Aiinc,  was  the  daughter  of  Valcour 
Aime,  well  known  as  the  pioneer  in  sugar  refin 
ing  in  Louisiana,  and  for  his  philanthropy.  The 
Fortier  family  settled  in  New  Orleans,  from 
France,  shortly  after  the  foundation  of  that 
city. 

Alcee  Fortier  was  educated  in  New  Orleans 
and  at  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  took  a 
course  in  phonetics  under  Paul  Passy,  in  Paris. 
In  1878,  he  was  elected  Professor  of  French  in 
the  Boys'  High  School  in  New  Orleans,  and  in 
1879  he  became  a  member  of  the  Faculty  of  the 
University  of  Louisiana  which,  in  1884,  took  the 
name  of  the  Tulane  University  of  Louisiana. 
He  has  been  since  many  years  professor  of  the 
Romance  languages  in  that  institution. 

The  principal  works  of  Professor  Fortier  are: 
"  Le  Chateau  de  Chambord  "  ( 1884)  ;  "  Bits  of 
Louisiana  Folk-Lore"  (1888);  "Sept  Grands 
Auteurs  du  19e  Siecle  "  (1889)  "  Histoire  de  la 
Litterature  Francaise "  (1893);  "Louisiana 
Studies"  (1894)';  "  Louisiana  Folk-Tales  " 
(1894)  :  "Voyage  en  Europe  "  (1895)  ;  "  Precis 
de  1'Histoire  de  France  (1899);  and  "  A  His- 

(245) 


246     LITERATUKE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

tory  of  Louisiana"  (1904');  besides  these,  he 
has  written  a  number  of  French  texts  for  col 
leges. 

Professor  Fortier  has  written  numerous  articles 
for  newspapers  and  magazines,  and  has  delivered 
many  lectures  on  French  history  and  literature 
and  Louisiana  history,  in  the  United  States  and 
in  Paris.  He  has  occupied  —  or  still  occupies  — 
the  following  positions  of  trust  and  honor :  mem 
ber  State  Board  of  Education,  1888-1896;  Vice- 
President,  and  later,  President  Board  of  Civil 
Service  Commissioners  of  New  Orleans,  1897— 
1900;  President  Athence  Louisianais,  since 
1892;  President  Louisiana  Historical  Society, 
since  1894 ;  President  Modern  Language  Asso 
ciation  of  America,  1898;  President  American 
Folk-Lore  Society,  1894;  President  Catholic 
Winter  School  of  America,  1897-1903,  and 
several  others.  In  1894,  Washington  and  Lee 
Universitv  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Letters. 

He  has  received  from  the  French  government 
several  decorations,  among  others,  Officier 
d'Academie,  1896  ;  Officier  de  1'Instruction  Pub- 
lique,  1901;  and,  Chevalier  de  la  Legion 
d'Honneur,  1902.  He  married  Miss  Marie 
Lanauze,  in  1881,  and  has  one  daughter  and  four 
sons  living. 

I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  some  five  or 
six  of  Professor  Fortier 's  books,  and  have  a 
decided  preference  for  his  "  Louisiana  Studies  ". 
This  work  is  divided  into  three  parts  —  Litera- 


ALCEE    FORTIER.  247 

ture,  Customs  and  Dialects,  and  History  and 
Education.  His  account  of  the  literature  of 
Louisiana  is  the  best  and  most  complete  in  exist 
ence  ;  his  study  of  the  Creole  dialect  is  simply 
wonderful ;  he  has  reduced  to  an  art  what  was 
before  individual  peculiarity ;  he  actually  finds  a 
grammar  for  this  patois.  I  need  not  say,  that 
he  is  perfectly  at  home  in  the  historical  and  edu 
cational  chapter.  In  this  petty  age,  his  expressed 
appreciation  of  his  contemporaries  in  the  field  of 
Louisiana  literature,  is  simply  beautiful.  An 
unassuming,  plain,  honest-hearted  old  gentle 
man,  what  less  could  be  expected  of  him?  He 
is,  by  all  means,  the  foremost  of  the  Louisiana 
litterateurs  of  to-day. 


THE  VOUDOUX. 
(From  "Louisiana  Studies.") 

The  negroes,  as  all  ignorant  people,  are  very  supersti 
tious.  The  celebrated  sect  of  the  Voudoux,  of  which  so 
much  has  been  said,  was  the  best  proof  of  the  credulity  and 
superstition  of  the  blacks  as  well  as  of  the  barbarity  of  their 
nature. 

The  idea  of  incantation  and  of  charms  for  good  or  evil  is 
as  old  as  the  world.  In  Virgil's  eighth  eclogue  we  all 
remember  the  words  of  Alphesiboeus: 

"  Terna  tibi  haec  primum  triplici  diversa  colore 
Licia  circumdo,  terque  haec  altaria  circum 
Effigiem  duco;  numero  deus  impare  daudet." 

In  the  Middle  Ages  astrology  was  considered  a  science,  and 
sorcery  was  admitted.  It  is  well  known  that  when  John  the 
Fearless  (of  Burgundy)  killed  Louis  of  Orleans,  the  cele 
brated  theologian  Jean  Petit  proved  to  the  poor  Charles  VI. 


248      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

that  John  had  rendered  him  a  great  service  in  killing  his 
brother,  as  the  latter  had  conjured  the  two  devils,  Hernias 
and  Astraraon,  to  harm  the  king,  and  they  would  have 
caused  his  death  had  not  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  like  a 
devoted  subject,  saved  his  liege  lord. 

The  religion  of  the  Voudoux  was  based  on  sorcery,  and, 
being  practiced  by  very  ignorant  people,  was,  of  course, 
most  immoral  and  hideous.  It  is,  fortunately,  fast  disap 
pearing,  the  negroes  becoming  more  civilized.  The  dances 
of  the  Voudoux  have  often  been  described ,  and  were,  accoi  cl 
ing  to  the  accounts,  perfect  bacchanalia.  They  usually  took 
place  at  some  retired  spot  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Pontchar- 
train  or  of  Bayou  St.  John. 

Although  this  sect  is  nearly  extinct,  the  negroes  are  still 
very  much  afraid  of  their  witchcraft.  The  Voudoux,  how 
ever,  do  not  always  succeed  in  their  enchantments,  as  is 
evident  by  the  following  amusing  incident.  One  of  my 
friends,  returning  home  from  his  work  quite  late  one  even 
ing,  saw  on  a  doorstep  two  little  candles  lit,  and  between 
them  four  nickels,  placed  as  a  cross*  Feeling  quite  anxious 
as  to  the  dreadful  fate  which  was  to  befall  the  inhabitants 
of  the  house,  the  gentleman  blew  out  the  candles,  threw 
them  in  the  gutter,  put  the  nickels  in  his  pocket,  and  walked 
off  with  the  proud  satisfaction  of  having  saved  a  whole 
family  from  great  calamities.  This  is  how  the  Creoles  fear 
the  Voudoux. 


NAPOLEON. 
(From  "  Precis  de  VHistoire  de  France."} 

Sainte-Helene. —  L'Angleterre  ne  traita  pas  son  illustre 
captif  avec  g^nerosite",  et  le  geolier,  Hudson  Lowe,  manqua 
de  tact  et  de  grandeur  d'ame.  Napoleon  subit  un  long  mar- 
tyre  a  Sainte-Helene  et  dicta  des  Memoires  eloquents  sur  sa 
prodigieuse  carriere.  II  mourut  le  5  Mai  1821,  et  a  laisse 
un  nom  qu'on  ne  peut  comparer  qu'a  ceux  d'Alexandre, 
d'Annibal  et  de  Ce*sar. 

II  fut  un  grand  destructeur  d'hommes,  il  fut  ambitieux, 
il  fut  egoiste,  il  laissa  la  France  plus  petite  qu'il  ne  lavait 
trouvee,  mais  aussi  il  propagea  dans  toute  1'Europe  les  prin- 


ALCEE    FORTIER.  249 

cipes  de  la  Revolution,  11  crea  des  institutions  qui  durent 
encore  et  il  donna  a  la  France  une  gloire  qui  1'a  consolee 
dans  ses  clefaites,  en  lui  rappelaut  que,  s'il  y  a  eu  Sedan,  il 
y  a  eu  aussi  Yena,  apr6s  Rosbach. 


LAMART1NE. 

(From  "Sept  Grands  Auteurs  du  XIXe  Siecle  ") 
IJ  est  mort  en  1869.  Quelques  remarkes  raaintenaat.  On 
me  clit  qu'on  ne  lit  plus  Lamartin^,  qu'il  est  le  poete  des 
femmes  et  des  jeunes  gens.  C'est  deja  un  grand  honntur 
que  d'etre  le  poete  des  femmes,  cela  prouve  que  ses  oeuvres 
sout  nobles  et  pures.  II  est  le  poete  des  jeunes  gens,  cela 
est  vrai,  mais  il  1'est  aussi  de  bien  des  hommes  qui  ne  sout 
plus  gennes.  Oa  1'accuse  de  monotonie;  oui,  sil'on  n'aime 
pas  a  voir  couler  une  riviere  aux  eaux  calmes  et  trans- 
parentes,  dans  lesquelles  se  refletent  les  arbres  et  les  fleurs, 
si  1'on  pent  se  fatiguer  des  belles  images.  Si  1'on  veut  un 
torrent  impetueux  qui  roule  avec  francas  sur  les  rocs  et 
rejaillit  en  cascades,  que  1'on  preune  Victor  Hugo.  N'oub- 
lions  pas,  cependaut,  Alphonse  de  Lamartine,  etrappelous- 
nous  que  sa  vie  et  ses  oeuvres  se  resument  en  ces  trois  mots 
qu'il  voulait  que  1'on  gravat  sur  la  pierre  de  sou  tombeau : 
u  Amour,  Poesie  et  Religion  ". 


THE  FRENCH  LANGUAGE  IN  LOUISIANA. 

(From  "  Louisiana  Studies.") 

The  French  spoken  in  Louisiana  is  generally  better  than 
that  of  the  Canadians.  It  is  easy  to  account  for  this.  The 
Canadians  were  separated  from  the  mother  country  in  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and,  even  long  before 
that  time,  immigration  from  France  was  limited,  and.  the 
population  was  increasing  rather  by  the  extraordinary  fecun 
dity  of  the  inhabitants  than  by  the  influx  of  immigrants. 
The  language  of  Canada  has  remained  nearly  stationary,  and 
is  almost  the  idiom  of  the  seventeenth  century ;  that  is  to 
say,  it  is  sometimes  quaint  and  obsolete.  In  Louisiana, 


250     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

immigration  continued  for  a  long  time,  and  in  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century  a  great  number  of  exiles  came 
from  the  French  Antilles,  and  added  many  persons  of  high 
birth  and  refined  manners  to  the  original  settlers. 

We  received,  however,  in  1765,  the  immigration  of  the  un 
fortunate  Acadian  exiles,  who  did  not  contribute  toward 
keeping  the  French  language  in  a  state  of  purity.  Although 
many  rose  to  high  positions  in  the  state,  the  language  of  a 
number  of  them  still  constitutes  a  real  dialect. 

Another  cause  of  the  purity  of  our  language  is  the  fact  that 
during  the  old  regime  almost  all  young  men  of  rich  families 
were  educated  in  France.  They  received  an  excellent  clas 
sical  education,  but  learned  no  English.  My  father  told  me 
that  on  his  return  home  after  a  seven  years'  course  in  a 
French  college,  he  knew  so  little  English  that  he  had  to  go 
to  Lexington,  Kentucky,  for  some  time  to  study  the  language 
of  the  country.  My  grandfather,  who  was  born  during  the 
Spanish  domination,  spoke  French  only,  and  did  not  allow 
English  to  be  spoken  in  his  family.  We  are  not  so  exclusive 
at  present,  and  we  are  very  anxious  that  our  children  should 
know  English  perfectly  well,  but  we  still  consider  French  as 
the  mother  tongue,  as  the  language  of  the  family. 

Though  French  is  still  the  mother  tongue  of  many  thou 
sands  of  Louisianians,  the  fact  cannot  be  denied  that  it  is 
not  as  generally  spoken  as  before  the  war.  Considering 
that  our  Creole  authors  know  that  in  writing  in  French  they 
have  but  little  chance  of  being  read  outside  of  their  state, 
their  patriotic  and  disinterested  devotion  to  the  language  of 
their  ancestors  is  certainly  remarkable  and  most  praise 
worthy. 


EUGENE  FIELD. 

About  ten  years  ago  I  wrote  to  Eugene  Field, 
at  Chicago,  for  some  data  about  himself  from 
which  I  could  write  a  short  biographical  sketch 
for  a  certain  magazine  I  was  then  editing.  In 
response,  he  sent  me  by  mail  a  small  pamphlet 
which  he  evidently  had  had  printed  to  meet  just 
such  inquiries  as  mine.  I  can  do  no  better  than 
to  let  parts  of  that  pamphlet,  his  "  Auto-Analy 
sis  ",  speak  for  him: 

"I  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  September  3,  1850,  the 
t-econd  and  oldest  surviving  son  of  Roswell  Martin  and 
Frances  (Reed)  Field,  both  natives  of  Windham  County, 
Vermont,  Upon  the  death  of  my  mother  (1856)  I  was  put 
in  the  care  of  my  (paternal)  cousin,  Miss  Mary  Field  French, 
at  Amherst,  Mass. 

"  In  1865  I  entered  the  private  school  of  the  Reverend 
James  Tufts,  Monson,  Mass.,  and  there  fitted  for  Williams 
College,  which  institution  I  entered  as  a  freshman  in  1868. 
Upon  my  father's  death  in  1869.  I  entered  the  sophomore 
class  of  Knox  College,  Galesburg,  111.,  my  guardian,  John 
W.  Burgess,  now  of  Columbia  College,  being  then  a  pro 
fessor  of  that  institution.  But  in  1870  I  went  to  Columbia, 
Mo.,  and  entered  the  State  University  there,  and  completed 
my  junior  year  with  my  brother.  In  1872  I  visited  Europe, 
sp  ending  six  months  and  my  patrimony  in  France,  Italy,  Ire 
land  and  England.  In  May,  1873,  I  became  a  reporter  on 
the  St.  Louis  Evening  Journal.  In  October  of  that  year  I 
married  Miss  Julia  Sutherland  Comstock  (born  in  Chenango 
County,  New  York),  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  at  that  time  a  girl 
of  sixteen.  We  had  eight  children  —  three  daughters  and 
five  sons. 

11  Ill-health  compelled  me  to  visit  Europe  in  1889;  there  I 

(251) 


252      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

remained  fourteen  months,  that  time  being  divided  between 
England,  Germany,  Holland  and  Belgium.  My  residence  at 
present  is  in  Buena  Park,  a  North-  Shore  suburb  of  Chicago. 

"My  newspaper  connections  have  been  as  follows:  1875- 
76,  city  editor  of  the  St.  Joseph(Mo.)  Gazette;  1876-80,  edi 
torial  writer  on  the  St.  Louis  Journal  and  St.  Louis  Times- 
Journal;  1880-81,  managing  editor  of  the  Denver  Tribune, 
Since  1883  I  have  been  a  contributor  to  the  Chicago  Record 
(formerly  Morning  News). 

u  I  wrote  and  published  my  first  bit  of  verse  in  1879;  it 
was  entitled  (  Christmas  Treasures  '  (see  '  Little  Book  of 
Western  Verse  ').  Just  ten  years  later  I  began  suddenly  to 
write  verse  very  frequently;  meanwhile  (1883-1889),  I  had 
labored  diligently  at  writing  short  stories  and  tales.  Most 
of  these  I  revised  half  a  dozen  times.  One,  l  The  Were- 
Wolf  ',  as  yet  unpublished.  I  have  rewritten  eight  times  dur 
ing  the  last  eight  years. 

11  My  publications  have  been  chronologically,  as  follows: 

"  1.  'The  Tribune  Primer',  Denver,  1882.  (Out  of  print, 
very  scarce.)  ('  The  Model  Primer  ',  illustrated  by  Hopkin, 
Brooklyn,  1882.  A  pirate  edition.) 

"  2.  «  Culture's  Garland  ',  Boston,  1887.     (Out  of  print  ) 

U3.  4A  Little  Book  of  Western  Verse',  Chicago,  1892. 
(Large  paper,  privately  printed  and  limited.) 

"4.  <  A  Little  Book  of  Profitable  Tales  ',  Chicago,  1889. 
(Large  paper,  privately  printed  and  limited.) 

"  *  A  Little  Book  of  Western  Verse  ',  New  York,  1892. 

"  '  A  Little  Book  of  Profitable  Tales  ",  New  York,  1890. 

"  5.  '  With  Trumpet  and  Drum  ',  New  York,  1892. 

"  6.  <  Second  Book  of  Verse  ',  New  York,  1893. 

u  7.  '  Echoes  from  the  Sabine  Farm  ',  translation  of  Hor 
ace,  Chicago,  1893.  In  Collaboration  With  My  Brother, 
Roswell  Martin  Field. 

"  8.  Introduction  to  Stone's  First  Editions  of  American 
Authors,  Cambridge,  1893. 

11  9.  '  The  Holy  Cross  and  Other  Tales  ',  Cambridge,  1893. 

"  My  favorite  hymn  is  '  Bounding  Billows  '. 

"My  favorites  in  fiction  are  Hawthorne's  '  Scarlet  Let 
ter  ',  '  Don  Quixote  '  and  *  Pilgrim's  Progress '. 

u  My  favorite  poems  are  Koerner's  *  Battle  Prayer  ', 
Wordsworth's  '  We  are  Seven  ',  Newman's  '  Lead  Kindly 
Light',  Luther's  hymns,  Schiller's  'The  Driver,'  Horace's 


EUGENE    FIELD.  253 

1  Fons  Bandusia; '  and  Burns'  '  Cotter's  Saturday  Night '.  I 
dislike  Dante  and  Byron.  I  should  like  to  have  known  Jer 
emiah  the  prophet,  old  man  Poggio,  Horace,  Walter  Scott, 
Bonaparte,  Hawthorne,  Mme.  Sontag,  Sir  John  Herschel, 
Hans  Andersen. 

"  I  favor  a  system  of  pension  for  noble  services  in  litera 
ture,  art,  science,  etc.  I  approve  of  compulsory  education. 

"  I  love  to  read  in  bed. 

UI  am  a  poor  diner;  and  I  drink  no  wine  or  spirits  of  any 
kind;  I  do  not  smoke  tobacco. 

"lam  six  feet  in  height;  am  of  spare  built;  weigh  160 
pounds  and  have  a  shocking  taste  in  dress. 

"  My  eyes  are  blue,  my  complexion  pale,  my  face  is 
shaven,  and  I  am  inclined  to  baldness. 

"  I  have  tried  to  analyze  my  feeling  toward  children,  and 
I  think  I  discover  that  I  love  them  in  so  far  as  I  can  make 
pets  of  them. 

"I  do  not  love  all  children. 

"  My  heroes  in  history  are  Martin  Luther,  Mme,  Lam- 
balle,  Abraham  Lincoln. 

"  I  dislike  politics,  so  called. 

"  I  dislike  all  exercise  and  play  all  games  very  indiffer 
ently. 

"  I  believe  in  Churches  and  schools,  I  hate  wars,  armies 
soldiers,  guns  and  fireworks. 

"  I  like  music  (limited). 

"  My  favorite  color  is  red. 

"I  do  not  care  particularly  for  sculpture  or  for  paint 
ings;  I  try  not  to  become  interested  for  the  reason  that  if  I 
were  to  cultivate  a  taste  for  them  I  should  presently 
become  hopelessly  bankrupt. 

11 1  am  extra vaganlty  fond  of  perfume. 

"  I  dislike  crowds  and  I  abominate  functions. 

"  I  believe  that  if  I  live,  I  shall  do  ray  best  literary  work 
when  I  am  a  grandfather." 

He  never  lived  to  be  a  grandfather.  He  died 
in  Chicago,  November  4,  1895. 

Eugene  Field  is  best  remembered  for  some  of 
his  juvenile  poems.  At  times  he  wielded  a 
trenchant  pen,  but  he  was  not  always  as  just  and 


254  LITERATURE  OF  LOUISIANA  TERRITORY. 

unprejudiced  as  he  might  have  been;  nor  was 
his  sense  of  honor  always  of  the  highest.  But 
Eugene  Field  was  —  Gene  Field !  Bright,  clever, 
shrewd,  a  "good  fellow" — his  friends  have 
forgiven  him  much,  and  the  world  will  forgive 
him  still  more. 

In  the  summer  of  1902  we  placed  a  tablet  on 
the  front  of  house  number  634  South  Broadway, 
St.  Louis.  The  tablet  informs  the  passer-by 
that  Eugene  Field  was  "  born  in  this  house". 
He  must  have  been  born  twice,  then,  for  a  few 
months  later,  his  brother,  Roswell  Field,  pointed 
out  a  house  some  four  or  five  miles  further  north, 
in  which,  he  said  Eugene  was  born.  As  that 
was  our  first  attempt,  in  St.  Louis,  to  honor  our 
literary  celebrities,  we  will  no  doubt  be  more 
accurate  in  future. 


IN  THE  FIRELIGHT. 

(From  The  Chicago  News,  1885.} 
The  fire  upon  the  hearth  is  low, 

And  there  is  stillness  everywhere; 

Like  troubled  spirits  here  and  there 
The  firelight  shadows  fluttering  go. 
And  as  the  shadows  round  me  creep, 

A  childish  treble  breaks  the  gloom, 

And  softly  from  a  further  room 
Comes:  "  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep." 

And,  somehow,  with  that  little  prayer 
And  that  sweet  treble  in  my  ears, 
My  thought  goes  back  to  distant  years 

And  lingers  with  a  dear  one  there  : 

And  as  I  hear  the  child's  amen, 


EUGENE    FIELD.  255 

My  mother's  faith  comes  back  to  me: 
Crouched  at  her  side  I  seem  to  be; 
Aud  mother  holds  my  hands  again. 

Oh,  for  an  hour  in  that  dear  place  — 
Oh,  for  the  peace  of  that  dear  time, 
Oh,  for  that  childish  trust  sublime, 

Oh,  for  a  glimpse  of  mother's  face ! 

Yet,  as  the  shadows  round  me  creep, 
T  do  not  seem  to  be  alone  — 
Sweet  magic  of  that  treble  tone  — 

And  "  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep!  " 


SHARPS  AND  FLATS. 

(From  The  Chicago  News,  1885.} 

((  Movins  again,  eh?  What's  the  matter  with  your  board 
ing  place  this  time?  " 

<l  Well,  you  know  I  told  you  about  the  torture  I  endured  in 
the  last  place?  " 

"  Yes.     A  family  with  twin  hoy-babies,  both  teething." 
"  Yes.     Well,  I  just  got  settled  down  in  a  new  place  in  a 
nice  room  right  next  to  the  parlor,  when  the  landlady  mo 
seyed  in  a  grand  piano,  backed  it  right  up  against  my  wall, 
and  gave  all  the  boarders  the  privilege  of  using  it." 
"  Where  are  you  going  now?  " 
"Back  to  the  babies?  " 

—  "  Charlie,  I'm  afraid  that  if  Guzzleby  don't  stop  drink 
ing  soon  he'll  have  snakes  in  his  boots." 

"I'm  not." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Why,  there  isn't  a  snake  in  the  world  that  hasn't  more 
self-respect  than  to  be  seen  in  his  compan-y." 

"Ah,  but  you  know  delirium  tremens  is  only  an  affection 
of  the  mind." 

"Then  I'm  sure  Guzzleby  won't  have  'em." 

—  They  met  in  a  dark  alley. 

"  Your  money  or  your  life!  "  demanded  the  highwayman. 
The  man  in  the  silk  hat  gave  up  his  money  and  drew  him 
into  conversation. 


256      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

When  the  highwayman  emerged  from  the  alley  he  stopped 
to  count  his  money. 

It  was  gone  —  his  own  with  it,  every  cent. 
Who  was  the  man  in  the  silk  hat? 
A  bank  cashier. 


WOMAN'S  WAYS. 

(From  the  Kansas  City   Times.  1881}. 
Ten  years  ago  —  yes,  may  be  more  — 

I  went  to  tell  my  love  my  love  — 
I  saw  her  at  the  cottage  door 

The  honeysuckle  twined  above, 
And  as  I  came,  she  came  and  stood 

Half  leaning  o'er  the  garden  gate; 
"  Come  in  ",  she  cried,  in  merry  mood. 

I  see  her  now,  a  winsome  girl  — 

A  child  with  frank  and  honest  heart  — 
Yet  in  her  voice  and  eye  and  curl 

A  modesty  thai  passeth  art. 
Last  night  I  came,  as  years  a^o 

I  came,  and  saw  my  darling  wait 
For  one  who  toddled  to  and  fro  — 

Half  leaning  o'er  the  garden  gate. 

"  Co;ne.  in  ",  said  she,  but  not  to  me  — 

A  tender  smile  upon  her  face  — 
Ah!  cruel,  cruel  love!     I  see 

My  little  son  hath  stole  my  place. 
I  see  her  now  —  my  worshipped  one  — 

And  yet  she  is  not  wholly  mine, 
For  love  breeds  love  from  sire  to  son, 

A  woman's  heart  is  love's  own  shrine  . 


KATE  CHOPIN. 

Mrs.  Kate  Chopin  was  born  in  St.  Louis.  She 
descends,  on  her  mother's  side,  from  several  of 
the  old  French  families  of  primitive  St.  Louis, 
and  her  father,  Captain  Thomas  O'Flaherty,  was 
a  wealthy  merchant  of  St.  Louis.  She  graduated 
at  the  Sacred  Heart  Convent,  and  a  few  years 
later  married  Oscar  Chopin  of  Natchitoches  Par 
ish,  Louisiana.  They  lived  on  his  plantation 
until  his  death  which  occurred  several  years  ago. 
Her  first  literary  venture,  *  *  At  Fault  " ,  is  a  good, 
homely  story,  not  particularly  exciting  as  to  the 
plot,  and  somewhat  crude  at  times,  but  still 
affording  pleasant  reading ;  in  no  way  did  it 
foreshadow  her  future  work.  It  was  published 
in  1890,  in  St.  Louis. 

Her  next  book,  "Bayou  Folk"  (Boston, 
1894),  consists  of  a  number  of  short  stories  and 
studies  of  Creole  life.  The  facility  and  exact 
ness  with  which  Mrs.  Chopin  handles  the  Creole 
dialect,  and  the  fidelity  of  her  descriptions  of 
that  strange,  remote  life  in  the  Louisiana  bayous, 
is  remarkable.  But  she  writes  of  (what  she  calls) 
her  "  own  people  ",  for  by  inheritance  of  birth 
and  by  marriage,  and  I  may  add  —  by  inclination, 
she  is  herself,  a  Creole. 

Her  stories  are  extremely  interesting  as  studies 
of  life.  She  has  been  compared  to  Mr.  Cable, 

ir  (257) 


258     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

but  no  two  writers  could  possibly  traverse  the 
same  ground  more  at  variance  with  each  other. 
Her  touch  is  far  more  deft  than  Mr.  Cable's; 
her  insight  is  more  femininely  subtle  (if  I  may 
use  the  word);  pain,  sorrow,  affliction,  humbled 
pride,  rude  heroism  —  enter  more  completely  into 
her  sympathies.  She  feels  and  suffers  with  her 
characters.  Nor  is  this  strange :  she  is  herself 
(as  I  have  said  before)  to  the  manor  born.  Not 
so  Mr.  Cable.  I  do  not  wish  to  detract  one 
tittle  from  the  just  praise  I  have  given  him  else 
where,  but  the  soul  of  sympathy  with  which  Mrs. 
Chopin  overflows  is  wanting  in  his  pages;  we 
may  smile  with  him,  we  may  laugh  with  him  — 
even  grieve  with  him  —  but  we  are  forced  to 
realize,  nevertheless,  that  he  lacks  that  touch 
of  humanity  that  Brunetiere  so  justly  and  so 
eloquently  praises  in  Thackeray  and  George 
Eliot.  The  critics  have  not  as  yet  fully  under 
stood  the  excellence  of  Mrs.  Chopin's  work. 

I  remember  Mrs.  Chopin,  when  almost  a 
child,  reading  one  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  novels! 
Of  later  years,  she  is  as  she  was  then,  an  omniv 
orous  reader.  She  has  a  strong  admiration  for 
the  late  Guy  de  Maupassant,  whose  artistic 
methods  she  considers  superior  to  those  of  any 
other  French  author  of  late  days.  She  is  not  a 
"blue-stocking" — she  has  none  of  the  man 
ners,  airs,  affectations  and  eccentricities  of  the 
poseurs  bleu.  She  has  no  fads,  no  serious  pur 
poses,  no  lesson  to  teach  in  life.  She  takes  no 
notes,  she  has  never,  she  declares,  observed  or 


KATE    CHOPIN.  259 

studied  people,  places,  or  things,  or  conditions, 
or  circumstances  with  a  viesv  of  using  them  as 
literary  material.  She  is  simply  a  bright,  unaf 
fected,  unpresuming  and  womanly  woman. 

Mrs.  Chopin  has  also  published  "A  Night  in 
Acadie  "  (Chicago,  1897)  and  "The  Awaken 
ing"  (Chicago,  1902)  — the  latter  a  novel. 
Another  work  from  her  pen  will  appear  some 
time  during  1904.  She  was  born  February  8, 
1851  ;  she  has  five  sons  and  one  daughter. 


THE  INCENDIARY. 

(From  "At  Fault."} 

Out  iu  the  hills  there  was  no  such  unearthly  stillness 
reigning.  Those  restless  wood-dwellers,  that  never  sleep, 
were  sending  startling  gruesome  calls  to  each  other.  Bats 
were  flapping  and  whirling  and  darting  hither  and  thither; 
the  gliding  serpent  making  quick  rustle  amid  the  dry,  crisp 
leaves,  and  ovei  all  sounded  the  murmur  of  the  great  pine 
trees,  telling  their  mystic  secrets  to  the  night. 

A  human  creature  was  there  too,  feeling  a  close  fellow 
ship  with  these  spirits  of  night  and  darkness;  with  no  more 
fear  in  his  heart  than  the  unheeding  serpent  crossing  his 
path.  Every  inch  of  the  ground  he  knew.  He  wanted  no 
daylight  to  guide  him.  Had  his  eyes  been  blinded  he  would 
no  doubt  have  bent  his  body  close  to  earth  and  scented  his 
way  along  like  the  human  hound  that  he  was.  Over  his 
shoulder  hung  the  polished  rifle  that  sent  dull  and  sudden 
gleamings  into  the  dark.  A  large  tin  pail  swung  from  his 
hand.  He  was  very  careful  of  this  pail — or  its  contents, 
for  he  feared  to  lose  a  drop.  And  when  he  accidentally  struck 
an  intervening  tree  and  spilled  some  upon  the  ground,  he 
muttered  a  curse  against  his  own  awkwardness. 

Twice  since  leaving  his  cabin  up  in  the  clearing,  he  had 
turned  to  drive  back  his  yellow  skulking  dog  that  followed 
him.  Each  time  the  brute  had  fled  in  abject  terror,  only  to 


260     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

come  creeping  again  into  his  master's  footsteps,  when  he 
thought  himself  forgotten.  Here  was  a  companion  whom 
neither  Jocint  nor  his  mission  required.  Exasperated,  he 
seated  himself  on  a  fallen  tree  and  whistled  softly.  The  dog, 
who  had  been  holding  back,  dashed  to  his  side,  trembling 
with  eagerness,  and  striving  to  twist  his  head  around  to  lick 
the  hand  that  patted  him.  Jocint's  other  hand  glided  quickly 
into  his  coat  pocket,  from  which  he  drew  forth  a  coil  of  thin 
rope  that  he  flung  deftly  over  the  animal's  head,  drawing  it 
c'ose  and  tight  about  the  homely,  shaggy  throat.  So  quickly 
was  the  action  done,  that  no  sound  was  uttered,  and  Jocint 
continued  his  way  untroubled  by  his  old  and  faithful  friend, 
whom  he  left  hanging  to  the  limb  of  a  tree. 

He  was  following  the  same  path  that  he  traversed  daily  to 
and  from  the  mill,  and  which  soon  brought  him  out  into  the 
level  with  its  soft  tufted  grass  and  clumps  of  squat  thorn 
trees.  There  was  no  longer  the  protecting  wood  to  screen 
him;  but  of  such  there  was  no  need,  for  the  darkness  hung 
about  him  like  the  magic  mantle  of  mystery.  Nearing  the 
mill  he  grew  cautious,  creeping  along  with  the  tread  of  a 
stealthy  beast,  and  halting  at  intervals  to  listen  for  sounds 
that  he  wished  not  to  hear.  He  knew  there  was  no  one  on 
guard  to-night.  A  movement  in  the  bushes  near  by,  made  him 
fall  quick  and  sprawling  to  the  earth.  It  was  only  Gregoire's 
horse  munching  the  soft  grass.  Jocint  drew  near  and  laid 
his  hand  on  the  horse's  back.  It  was  hot  and  reeking  with 
sweat.  Here  was  a  fact  to  make  him  more  wary.  Horses 
were  not  found  in  such  condition  from  quietly  grazing  of  a 
cool  autumn  night.  He  seated  himself  upon  the  ground,  with 
his  hands  clasped  about  his  knees,  all  doubled  up  in  a  little 
heap,  and  waited  there  with  the  patience  of  the  savage, 
letting  an  hour  go  by,  whilst  he  made  no  movement. 

The  hour  past,  he  stole  towards  the  mill,  and  began  his 
work  of  sprinkling  the  contents  of  his  pail  here  and  there 
along  with  dry  timbers  at  well  calculated  distances,  with 
care  that  no  drop  should  be  lost.  Then,  he  drew  together  a 
great  heap  of  shavings  and  slathers,  plentifully  besprinkled 
it  with  what  remained  in  the  can.  When  he  had  struck  a 
match  against  his  rough  trousers  and  placed  it  carefully  in 
the  midst  of  this  small  pyramid,  he  found  that  he  had  done 
his  work  too  surely.  The  quick  flame  sprang  into  life,  seiz 
ing  at  once  all  it  could  reach.  Leaping  over  intervals; 


KATE    CHOPIX.  261 

effacing  the  darkness  that  had  shrouded  him;  seeming  to 
mock  him  as  a  fool  and  point  him  out  as  a  target  for  heaven 
and  earth  to  hurl  destruction  at  if  they  would.  Where 
should  he  hide  himself?  He  only  thought  now  of  how  he 
might  have  done  the  deed  differently,  and  with  safety  to 
himself.  He  stood  with  great  beams  and  loose  planks  sur 
rounding  him;  quaking  with  a  premonition  of  evil.  He 
wanted  to  fly  in  one  direction;  then  thought  it  best  to  fol 
low  the  opposite;  but  a  force  outside  of  himself  seemed  to 
hold  him  fast  to  one  spot.  When  turning  suddenly  about, 
he  knew  it  was  too  late,  he  felt  that  all  was  lost,  for  there 
was  Gregoire,  not  twenty  paces  away  —  covering  him  with 
the  muzzle  of  a  pistol  and  —  cursed  luck  —  his  own  rifle  for 
gotten  along  with  the  empty  pail  in  the  raging  fire. 


A  HARBINGER. 

Bruno  did  very  nice  work  in  black  and  white;  sometimes 
in  green  and  yellow  and  red.  But  he  never  did  anything 
quite  so  clever  as  during  that  summer  he  spent  in  the  hills. 

The  spring-time  freshness  had  staid,  somehow.  And 
then  there  was  the  gentle  Diantha,  with  hair  the  color  of 
ripe  wheat,  who  posed  for  him  when  he  wanted-.  She  was 
as  beautiful  as  a  flower,  crisp  with  morning  dew.  Her 
violet  eyes  were  baby -eyes —  when  he  first  came.  When  he 
went  away  he  kissed  her,  and  she  turned  red  and  white  and 
trembled  so!  As  quick  as  thought  the  baby  look  went  out 
of  her  eyes  and  another  flashed  into  them. 

Bruno  sighed  a  good  deal  over  his  work  that  winter.  The 
women  he  painted  were  all  like  mountain  flowers.  The  big 
city  seemed  too  desolate  for  endurance,  often.  He  tried 
not  to  think  of  sweet-eyed  Diantha.  But  there  was  nothing 
to  keep  him  from  remembering  the  hills;  the  whirr  of  the 
summer  breeze  through  delicate-leafed  maples;  the  bird- 
notes  that  used  to  break  clear  and  sharp  into  the  stillness 
when  he  and  Diantha  were  together  on  the  wooded  hillside. 

So  when  summer  came  again,  Bruno  gathered  his  bags, 
his  brushes  and  colors  and  things.  He  whistled  soft  low 
tunes  as  he  did  so.  He  sang  even,  when  he  was  not  lost  in 
wondering  if  the.sunlight  would  fall  just  as  it  did  last  June, 


262      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

aslant  the  green  slopes;  and  if — and  if  Diantha  would 
quiver  red  and  white  again  when  he  called  her  his  own  sweet 
Diantha,  as  he  meant  to. 

Bruno  had  made  his  way  through  a  tangle  of  underbrush; 
but  before  he  came  quite  to  the  wood's  edge,  he  halted;  for 
there  about  the  little  church  that  gleamed  white  in  the  sun, 
people  were  gathered  —  old  and  young.  He  thought  Diantha 
might  be  among  them,  and  strained  his  eyes  to  see  if  she 
were.  But  she  was  not.  He  did  see  her,  though  —  when 
the  doors  of  the  rustic  temple  swung  open  —  like  a  white- 
robed  lily  now. 

There  was  a  man  beside  her  —  it  mattered  not  who; 
enough  that  it  was  one  who  had  gathered  this  wild  flower 
for  his  own,  while  Bruno  was  dreaming.  Foolish  Bruno! 
to  have  been  only  love's  harbinger  after  all!  He  turned 
away.  With  hurried  strides  he  descended  the  hill  again, 
to  go  and  wait  by  the  big  water- tank  for  a  train  to  come 
along. 


EDGAR  W.  HOWE. 

Edgar  W.  Howe,  the  well-known  Kansas  jour 
nalist,  obtained  immediate  success  with  his 
"  Story  of  a  Country  Town"  (Boston,  1884), 
of  which  William  Dean  Howells  writes  in  The 
Century  Mugazine :  "The  book  is  full  of  simple 
homeliness,  but  it  is  never  vulgar.  It  does  not 
Hatter  the  West,  nor  paint  its  rough  and  rude 
traits  as  heroic;  it  precises,  and  states,  and  the 
results  are  perfectly  imaginable  American  condi 
tions,  in  which  the  trait  of  beauty  and  pathos  is 
lost.  There  are  charming  things  in  it."  I 
thoroughly  agree  with  Mr.  Howells,  and  only 
wish  to  add  that  when  we  consider  the  poverty 
of  the  material  he  had  to  draw  upon,  it  is  simply 
marvelous  that  he  could  construct  out  of  it  so 
really  interesting  a  book. 

Mr.  Howe  is  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  Tit e 
Evening  Globe  of  Atchinson,  Kansas,  and  is 
forty-nine  years  of  age.  Some  slight  traces  of 
his  life  may  be  found  in  his  "  Story  of  a  Coun 
try  Town"  as  he  says  himself  that  he  often 
delineates  in  his  novels  such  actual  and  familiar 
scenes  as  have  made  a  strong  impression  on  his 
mind.  His  home  is  on  a  green  and  sloping 
hillside  in  the  northern  suburbs  of  Atchinson, 
and  the  description  of  "  The  Locks  "  in  his  novel, 
"  The  Mystery  of  the  Locks"  (Boston,  1885)  is 

(263)    ' 


264     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

a  picture  of  his  own  house.  To  the  right  is  the 
turbid  Missouri,  which  he  describes  as  it  is  seen 
from  the  windows  of  "  The  Locks  ".  Mr. 
Howe's  methods  of  work  are  described  in  a  letter 
he  wrote  to  The  Book  Buyer  in  the  summer  of 
1886,  and  to  which  he  lately  referred  me.  I 
have  given  the  substance  of  parts  of  that  letter 
in  this  paper. 

In  "  A  Moonlight  Boy  "  (Boston,  1886),  Mr. 
Howe  was  not  as  successful  as  in  his  prior  works. 
The  scene  is  partly  laid  in  New  York,  and  the 
author  is  not  at  home  in  the  large  cities.  There 
is  a  vast  difference  between  the  daily  life  of  a 
metropolitan  city  and  a  country  town.  He  partly 
retrieved  his  lost  ground  the  following  year  in 
"  A  Man  .Story  "  (Boston). 

Mr.  Howe  has  a  pleasant,  full-shaven  face, 
and  very  strong  and  positive  features.  He  has 
a  wife  and  two  children.  His  literary  work  is  a 
strong  drain  on  his  system  as  he  performs  it 
only  in  the  evenings  after  his  editorial  work  of 
the  day  is  done  and  he  is  already  tired  out.  It 
makes  him  thoroughly  nervous  and  often  causes 
sleepless  nights.  He  is  not  satisfied  with  the 
execution  of  his  novels,  as  he  realizes  that  he 
labors  under  disadvantages  and  feels  that  he 
could  do  far  better  work  if  he  had  more  leisure 
time  for  reflection  and  composition.  His  novels 
are  written  at  interrupted  intervals,  sometimes 
weeks  going  by  without  his  putting  pen  and  ink 
to  paper.  He  thinks  it  is  the  fact  of  his  writing 
under  such  disadvantages  that  makes  his  stories 


EDGAR    W.     HOWE.  265 

somewhat  sad  in  tone,  since  he   has  never  in  his 
life  felt  ambitious  and  encouraged  after  dark. 


EARLY  RECOLLECTIONS. 

(From  "  The  Story  of  a  Country  Town."} 
The  house  where  we  lived,  and  into  which  we  moved  on 
the  day  when  ray  recolkctions  begin,  was  the  largest  in 
the  settlement;  a  square  house  of  two  stories,  painted  so 
white  that  after  night  it  looked  like  a  ghost.  It  was  built 
on  lower  ground  than  Fairview  church,  though  the  location 
was  sightly,  and  not  far  away  ran  a  stream  fringed  with 
thickets  of  brush,  where  I  found  the  panting  cattle  and 
sheep  on  hot  days,  and  thought  they  gave  me  more  of  a  wel 
come  than  my  father  and  Jo  did  in  the  field;  for  they 
were  not  busy,  but  idle  like  me,  and  I  hoped  it  was  rather  a 
relief  to  them  to  look  at  me  in  mild-eyed  wonder. 

Beyond  the  little  stream  and  the  pasture  was  the  great 
dusty  road,  and  in  my  loneliness  I  often  sat  oil  the  high 
fence  beside  it  to  watch  for  the  coming  of  the  movers' 
wagons,  and  to  look  curiously  at  those  stowed  away  under 
the  cover  bows,  tumbled  together  with  luggage  and  effects 
of  every  kind.  If  one  of  the  drivers  asked  me  how  far  it 
was  to  the  country  town  I  supposed  he  had  heard  of  my 
wonderful  learning,  and  I  took  great  pains  to  describe  the 
road,  as  I  heard  my  father  do  a  hundred  times  in  response 
to  similar  inquiries  from  movers.  Sometimes  I  climbed  up 
to  the  driver's  seat,  and  drove  with  him  out  to  the  prairie, 
and  I  always  noticed  that  the  women  and  children  riding 
behind  were  poorly  dressed,  and  tired  looking,  and  I 
wondered  if  only  the  unfortunate  travelled  our  way,  for 
only  that  kind  of  people  lived  in  Fairview,  and  I  had  never 
seen  any  other  kind  in  the  road. 

When  I  think  of  the  ytais  I  lived  in  Fail  view,  I  imagine 
that  the  sun  was  never  bright  there  (although  I  am  certain 
that  it  was),  and  I  cannot  relieve  my  mind  of  the  impression 
that  the  cold,  changing  shadow  of  the  gray  church  has 
spread  during  my  long  absence  and  enveloped  all  the  houses 
where  the  people  lived.  When  I  see  Fairview  in  my  fancy 


266     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

now,  it  is  always  from  a  high  place,  and  looking  down  upon 
it  the  shadow  is  denser  around  the  house  where  I  lived  than 
anywhere  else,  so  that  I  feel  to  this  day  that  should  I  visit 
it,  and  receive  permission  from  the  new  owners  to  walk 
through  the  rooms,  I  should  find  the  walls  damp  and  mouldy 
because  the  bright  sun  and  the  free  air  of  Heaven  had  de 
serted  them  as  a  curse. 


THE  PROFESSOR. 

In  Cairo,  Egypt,  there  is  a  university  with  twelve  thousand 
students.  This  university  is  devoted  mainly  to  teaching  the 
theology  of  the  Mohammetan  faith.  Many  cf  the  three 
hundred  instructors  are  ignorant  of  everything  except  the 
theology  of  the  Koran.  They  were  compelled  to  study  this 
twelve  years,  in  order  to  become  instructors. 

No  doubt  many  of  these  instructors  think  they  are  superior 
to  ordinary  morals  because  they  have  an  Education;  because 
they  have  attended  College  twelve  years. 

Of  what  value  is  a  knowledge  of  the  Koran?  It  is  the  in 
vention  of  the  old  man  suffering  with  fits;  it  has  no  basis  in 
truth;  no  sensible  man  of  real  education  pretends  that  it 
has.  The  absurdity  of  the  Koran  is  so  palpable  that  men  of 
common  sense  will  not  discuss  whether  it  is  true  or  untrue. 

Admitting,  then,  that  a  man  has  spent  twelve  years  in 
studying  the  Koran,  is  the  fact  important?  Has  he  an  edu 
cation?  Is  he  not  inferior  to  the  ordinary  plain  citizen  who 
has  an  education  including  the  simple  details  of  life? 

The  average  college  professor  has  a  great  deal  of  "  learn 
ing  "that  may  be  compared  with  the  "  learning "  of  the 
Moslem  professors  at  Cairo,  who  have  studied  the  Koran 
twelve  years. 


GLOBE  PHILOSOPHY. 

(From  The  Atchinson  Globe.) 

When  a  man  can't  afford  to  build  a  house  with  two 
stories,  there  is  still  opportunity  for  pride  left  to  the  wife 
by  calling  the  new  home  a  "  bungalow." 


EDGAR    W.     HOWE.  267 

If  you  want  consideration,  always  give  it. 

Every  idle  person  bothers  two  or  three  busy  ones. 

Laugh  when  a  friend  tells  a  joke;  it  is  one  of  the  taxes 
you  must  pay. 

No  man  can  go  hunting  or  fishing  without  making  an 
explanation  afterwards. 

There  is  nothing  the  matter  with  Kansas;  the  trouble  is 
with  the  politicians. 

A  Hindoo  who  visited  this  country  to  study  its  institu 
tions,  visited  the  court  house.  u  What's  the  jury  for?" 
he  asked.  "To  decide  which  side  has  the  better  lawyer," 
his  guide  replied. 

It  used  to  be  that  people  had  to  get  together  to  gossip. 
Now  they  use  the  telephone. 

People  who  visit  the  cemetery  a  good  deal  gossip  about 
the  monuments. 

What  has  become  of  the  old-fashioned  woman  who  said 
in  describing  a  thin  person,  "  He  has  to  stand  up  twice  to 
make  a  shadow"? 

A  man  may  not  be  able  to  manage  his  own  affairs,  but  he 
will  give  you  advice  about  yours. 

A  pretty  woman  has  a  hard  time  in  this  world  in  receiv 
ing  too  much  sympathy  from  the  men,  and  not  enough 
sympathy  from  the  women. 

Are  your  enemies  more  powerful  than  your  friends?  If 
a  matter  of  great  importance  should  come  up  in  your  com 
munity  would  your  acquaintance  in  the  community  be  a 
help,  or  a  hindrance? 

About  the  only  thing  a  man  will  allow  his  wife  to  have  a 
monopoly  of  is  patience. 

Anything  seems  to  be  legal  if  it  has  enough  force  be 
hind  it. 

A  secret  is  something  which  you  tell  every  one,  but 
whisper  in  telling  it. 

Cover  up  your  meanness  and  the  fall  will  be  all  the  harder 
when  it  comes. 

In  these  days,  when  women  go  around  and  teach  parlia- 
mantary  law,  physical  culture,  domestic  science,  etc., 


268     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

woman  who  teaches  nothing  but  music,  appears  downright 
innocent  and  commonplace. 

We  have  noticed  that  an  expression  of  gratitude  for  past 
favors  is  usually  followed  by  a  request  for  new  ones. 

After  a  man  reaches  a  certain  age,  he  really  ought  to  be 
excused  from  being  annoyed  by  book  agents. 

No  one  really  loves  you  unless  he  believes  you  are  hypno 
tized  when  you  do  wrong. 

The  average  person's  idea  of  being  blunt  is  to  tell  dis 
agreeable  truths  to  a  friend's  face. 

The  women's  magazines  do  not  say  as  much  as  they 
should  about  the  desirability  of  the  mush  and  milk  habit. 

As  a  man  grows  older,  his  hours  for  liking  children  are 
from  8  p.  m.  to  7  a.  m.,  when  they  are  asleep;  but  a  woman, 
as  age  approaches,  likes  them  all  the  time. 

Don't  say  a  man  is  shiftless:  Be  polite,  and  say  that  he 
is  too  contented  to  ever  get  rich. 

The  theory  of  law  is  that  it  is  better  that  nine  guilty  men 
escape  than  that  one  innocent  man  be  punished.  But  the 
rule  has  been  enlarged  until  it  permits  ninety-nine  guilty 
men  to  escape  out  of  a  hundred. 


WILLIS  GEORGE  EMERSON. 

Willis  George  Emerson,  lawyer  and  mine  owner 
(and  author  during  leisure  hours),  was  born  near 
Blakesburg,  in  Monroe  County,  Iowa,  March  28, 
1856.  He  is  the  son  of  the  Reverend  Stephen 
L.  and  Mary  L.  Emerson.  His  education  was 
begun  at  the  district  schools  of  Union  County, 
Iowa ;  he  next  attended  Knox  College,  Gales- 
burg,  Illinois,  but  did  not  graduate.  His  college 
days  over,  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  United  States  District  Court  and 
the  State  Courts  of  Iowa,  but  shortly  abandoned 
the  law  and  taught  in  a  country  school  for  four 
years. 

We  next  h'ud  him  at  the  Lombard  Banking 
House,  where  he  remained  during  the  succeeding 
three  years,  and  then  removed  from  Iowa  to 
Kansas,  in  188(5.  In  Kansas,  he  engaged  once 
more  in  banking  and  paid  some  attention  to  poli 
tics.  In  1888,  he  was  elected  Presidential  Elec 
tor  from  the  seventh  Kansas  Congressional  dis 
trict,  on  the  Republican  ticket.  In  June,  1900, 
he  was  appointed  as  Commissioner  to  the  Paris 
Exposition  by  the  governor  of  Wyoming ;  the 
same  year  he  served  as  Vice-Chairman  of  the 
Speakers'  Bureau  of  the  Republican  National 
Committee.  He  has  an  extensive  reputation  as  a 
platform  orator  and  political  writer  ;  his  speech  in 

(269) 


270     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

reply  to  "  Coin  "  Harvey's  "  Financial  School  " 
was  issued  as  a  Republican  campaign  document 
in  1896,  and  in  1900  more  than  one  million 
copies  of  his  speech  on  sound  money  were  circu 
lated  throughout  the  country  by  the  Republican 
National  Committee.  He  was  elected  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  American  University  at  Washing 
ton,  on  December  12,  1900. 

Mr.  Emerson  is  a  widower,  and  has  two  sons. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  promising  of  the  new 
writers  of  the  day.  Besides  his  books,  he  has 
written  for  various  magazines  and  literary  papers 
more  than  one  hundred  stories  of  travel  and 
sketches  of  mining  camps  and  mountain  scenery. 
The  popular  song,  "  A  Woodland  Stream  ",  is 
from  his  pen.  He  is  the  Commissioner  from  his 
state  to  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  of 
this  year. 

His  published  works  are  :  "  Winning  Winds  "  ; 
"The  Fall  of  Jason";  "My  Partner  and  I", 
and  «'  Buell  Hampton",  all  published  in  Boston 
and  Chicago  within  the  past  six  or  seven  years. 
He  is  at  work  on  a  fifth  novel. 


DEDICATED  TO  MY  OLD  SWEETHEART. 

(From  "  Buell  Hampton.") 
My  sweetheart  of  the  long  ago  — 

With  rosy  cheeks  and  raven  hair  — 
Sang  lullabies  so  soft  and  low, 

All  joyous  was  the  rhythmic  air. 
Though  other  links  with  luckless  fate 
Have  brought  me  bruises  bathed  in  tears, 


WILLIS    GEORGE    EMERSON.  271 

From  childhood  up  to  man's  estate 

Her  love  has  held  me  all  the  years. 
Our  ties  grow  fonder,  day  by  day, 

While  graces  all  in  her  combine. 
Oh,  love!  make  good  and  glad  the  way 

Where  walks  this  sweetheart  —  Mother  mine. 


THE  CONFLAGRATION. 

(From  "  Buell  Hampton."} 

The  people  had  taken  refuge  in  the  upper  stories,  and 
on  the  roofs  of  buildings,  to  protect  themselves  from  the 
savage  arena  below.  As  the  fire  drew  nearer,  and  the  light 
and  heat  became  more  intensified,  a  spectral  hue  fell  over  the 
blanched  faces  of  all. 

A  suffocating  fear,  far  exceeding  even  that  of  the  hot 
winds,  enveloped  the  beleaguered  town  of  Meade.  The 
situation  was  desperate.  The  flames,  in  their  maddened 
fury  of  triumph,  were  rushing  on  the  wings  of  the  wind 
toward  their  defenseless  victims.  The  brave  battalion  of 
fire-fighters  was  forced  to  retire  in  haste  before  the  stifling 
heat.  The  western  fronts  of  the  buildings  shone  as  at  noon 
day,  while  to  the  eastward  the  long  shadows  danced,  grew 
less  distinct,  and  then  darkened  as  the  scarlet  smoke  rose 
and  fell,  producing  strange  and  weird  phantoms. 

The  rapidly  gliding  columns  of  smoke,  resting  "one  upon 
another  —  one  upon  another",  seemed  to  have  ignited  and 
become  a  surging  sea  —  a  pyrotechnical  display  of  fire  waves. 
A  few  buildings  on  the  outskirts  caught  fire  from  the  great 
heat.  Millions  of  flying  sparks,  as  countless  as  the  stars, 
filled  the  air,  threatening  complete  annihilation.  The  men 
acing  flames  were  advancing  upon  their  helpless  prey  with  a 
fierceness  that  seemed  to  partake  of  hellish  glee.  Theories 
of  rabbits,  the  yelps  of  coyotes,  the  moaning  howl  of  wolves, 
the  frantic  roarings  of  cattle,  and  the  wail  of  hysterical  and 
fainting  women,  — all  produced  the  wildest  pandemonium. 
Above  the  terrible  tumult  could  be  heard  the  hissing, 
crackling,  seething  laugh  of  the  undulating,  death-dealing 
labyrinth  of  flames  —  on  they  rushed,  in  awful  fury. 


272     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Extinction  seemed  imminent.  The  burning  buildings  were 
already  crumbling  into  charred  ruins;  while  others  were 
being  enveloped  with  roaring,  swirling  sheets  of  fire.  Like 
prophets,  they  seemed  to  be  foretelling,  by  example,  a  cer 
tain  destruction.  The  cattle,  the  wolves,  the  jack- rabbits 
and  the  people,  were  alike  demoralized  and  stampeded  by 
an  overpowering  fear. 

The  fire  now  advanced  like  a  line  of  molten  lava.  On,  on 
it  came,  to  the  very  limits  of  Meade.  Man  and  beast  seemed 
about  to  be  offered  up  on  a  fiery  altar.  The  cattle  moaned 
a  sacrificial  dirge.  The  smothering  smoke  crept  stealthily 
down  through  the  streets,  and  suffocation  hushed  the  wail 
of  the  people.  Like  hordes  of  painted  savages,  the  flames 
seemed  to  be  brandishing  bloody  tomahawks,  as  they 
rushed  at  their  victims  with  demoniacal  shrieks  of  exulta 
tion. 

Then,  God  smote  the  Rock  of  Deliverance, —  a  divine  hand 
reached  out  in  infinite  compassion.  The  heavens  opened, 
the  rain  descended  in  blinding  torrents,  the  earth  trembled 
with  deafening  peals  of  thunder,  the  lightning  pierced  the 
clouds  in  fearful  grandeur,  as  if  the  Almighty,  in  His 
immeasurable  goodness  were  hurling  an  admonition  at  the 
flames. 

Providence  grappled  the  devouring  demon  by  the  throat, 
as  he  was  in  the  very  act  of  exulting  over  an  almost  certain 
victory.  The  fire-king  of  terror  surrendered  to  an  omnipo 
tent  decree.  Its  mighty  strength  was  broken,  and  what  a 
few  moments  before  had  seemed  an  irresistible  artillery  of 
power  and  defiance  became  a  charnel-house,  wrapped  in 
the  sable  robes  of  its  own  defeat.  Then  there  went  up  a 
cry  from  the  people,  «'  God  lives!  Our  lives  are  spared! 
All  praise  to  the  Ruler  of  the  Universe!  " 

When  the  wreck  and  ruin  had  been  surveyed  in  the  gray 
dawn  and  morning  of  a  new  day,  these  loyal  people,  with 
a  fortitude  unequaled  in  the  history  of  communities, 
returned  to  the  burning  embers  of  their  dugout  homes, 
and  forgetting  the  devastation  of  the  hot  winds  and  the 
calamity  of  the  greatest  prairie-fire  that  had  ever  swept 
over  the  Southwest,  they  went  on  loving  Kansas  —  the 
land  of  sunshine  and  of  sun  flowers. 


ALICE  FRENCH. 

Miss  Alice  French  ("Octave  Thanet  " )  was 
born  in  Audover,  Massachusetts,  in  1856.  Since 
childhood  she  has  resided  in  Davenport,  Iowa, 
and  stands  in  the  front  rank  of  the  band  of 
Western  and  Southern  writers,  which  within  the 
past  ten  or  twelve  years  has  done  so  much 
towards  the  reproduction  and  popularizing  of  the 
more  characteristic  pictures  of  Western  and 
Southern  life. 

On  both  her  father's  and  her  mother's  side,  Miss 
French  comes  from  old  New  England  stock,  her 
ancestors  having  been  Massachusetts  Bay  colo 
nists.  Her  father,  a  manufacturer  of  agricultural 
implements,  was  a  man  of  literary  tastes,  and  was 
forced  to  leave  his  Massachusetts  home  on  ac 
count  of  ill  health  and  seek  a  milder  western 
climate,  while  Miss  French  was  a  child.  He 
descended  indirect  line  from  Sir  William  French, 
an  Irish  gentleman  who  settled  in  Massachusetts 
in  the  17th  century.  Her  mother  was  the  daugh 
ter  of  Marcus  Morton,  at  one  time  governor  of 
Massachusetts,  and  her  ancestors  came  to  New 
England  in  the  Mayflower. 

"Octave  Thanet's  "  first  work  for  the  press 
was  in  the  line  of  articles  on  subjects  which  had 
awakened  her  interest.  In-door  papers,  jails  and 
charities  were  among  them.  She  began  to  write 

18  (273) 


274     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

very  early  in  life,  and  for  some  time  her  articles 
were  rejected  with  a  painful  regularity  by  maga 
zine  editors.  She  persevered,  however,  and  fin 
ally  had  a  sketch  accepted  by  the  editor  of  Lip- 
pincotfs  Magazine,  and  published  with  the  title 
of  "  Communists  and  Capitalists".  "  This 
story,"  says  Mr.  Howells,  "maybe  read  with 
equal  pathos  and  instruction  in  these  days." 

Her  first  story  to  attract  public  attention  was 
"The  Bishop's  Vagabond",  which  appeared  in 
The  Atlantic  Monthly  when  Mr.  Howells  was  the 
editor  of  that  magazine.  Louise  Chandler  Moul- 
ton  considers  it  her  best  short  story,  but  Miss 
French  has  a  decided  preference  for  her  "  Ogre 
of  Ha-Ha  Bay  ".  The  majority  of  her  stories 
(as  this  one)  are  based  upon  real  incidents. 
Something  she  has  heard,  or  read,  or  seen,  fur 
nishes  the  foundation  of  a  story,  or  goes  into 
her  note-book  for  future  reference.  She  is  a 
good  worker;  she  can  write  eight  or  ten  hours  a 
day,  on  the  average,  and  feel  no  ill  effects.  She 
likes  to  write  in  the  morning,  and  spend  the 
larger  portion  of  the  remaining  hours  of  the  day 
out  of  doors.  She  is  fond  of  riding,  rowing,  and 
other  athletic  sports,  and  tramping  about  the 
woods.  She  is  a  fervent  admirer  of  the  paintings 
of  Millet  and  Corot,  and  has  a  special  fondness 
for  the  periods  of  English  history  in  which  Ed 
ward  VI.  and  Queen  Mary  reigned.  She  has  a 
strong  liking  for  German  philosophy,  though  she 
says  that  she  does  not  believe  in  it.  Her  nom-de- 
plume  was  accidental ;  she  had  an  intimate  school- 


ALICE    FRENCH.  275 

mate  at  Abbot  Academy  (Andover)  named  "  Oc 
tave  ",  and  "  Thanet  "  was  a  name  she  once  saw 
on  a  passing  freight  car. 

Miss  French  has  published:  "The  Heart  of 
Toil  "  (New  York)  ;  "  Otto  the  Knight,  and  Other 
Trans-Mississippi  Stories'  (Boston,  1891); 
'-'Stories  of  a  Western  Town"  (New  York, 
1893)  ;  "  Knitters  in  the  Sun  "  (Boston)  ;  "An 
Adventure  in  Photography"  (1893);  "The 
Missionary  Sheriff";  and,  "Expiation".  In  a 
very  recent  letter,  Miss  French  writes  to  me : 
"  1  was  educated  in  the  old  girls'  school  at  Abbot 
Academy  (Andover,  Massachusetts)  *  *  * 
I  began  to  write  in  1879-1880.  *  *  *  I 
have  lived  much  of  my  life  in  the  South,  lately. 
The  only  long  novel  I  ever  wrote  is 
'  Expiation  '  " . 

Miss  French  owns  a  plantation  in  Arkansas  on 
which  she  spends  much  of  her  time.  Madame 
Blanc  ("  Th.  Bentzon  ")  in  her  book  of  travels 
in  the  United  States  "  Les  Americaines  Chez 
Elles'\  published  in  Paris,  in  1896,  has  a  very 
interesting  account  of  Miss  French  and  her  life 
on  this  plantation.  I  believe  that  Madame  Blanc's 
book  has  been  translated  and  published  East. 
Many  of  "  Octave  Thanet's  "  short  stories  have 
been  translated  into  French,  German,  Spanish, 
Russian  and  Swedish. 


27(5     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 


THE  SHORT  STORY. 
(From  Literature.  1888.} 

Not  so  many  years  ago,  the  short  story  was  the  poor  re 
lation  iii  fiction.  To-day,  every  able  writer  of  short  stories 
finds  himself  flooded  with  demands  for  his  work.  *  *  * 

If  we  inquire  into  the  reason  for  this  changed  regard,  we 
shall  find  a  simple  explanation:  Short  stories  are  better 
treated,  because  they  deserve  better  treatment  —  at  least, 
with  us.  Perhaps,  there  is  something  in  toe  concentrated 
and  vivid  quality  of  the  short  story  that  accords  with  our 
national  temperament;  certainly,  Americans  are  admitted  to 
do  the  best  work.  For  one  thing,  whether  or  no,  the  great 
American  novel  so  long  awaited,  so  strenuously  invited,  has 
come,  at  last,  unrecognized;  our  short  stories  are  American 
to  the  core.  They  reflect  our  multitudinous  national  life. 
Its  unruly  complexity  of  race  instincts,  its  daring,  its  un 
derlying  patience  and  clinging  to  order,  its  frantic  aspira 
tions  held  in  leash  by  a  sluggish  but  tremendous  common 
sense,  its  provincial  narrowness  and  cosmopolitan  toleration, 
its  reckless  humor,  its  hidden  tenderness  and  sentiment,  its 
freedom,  its  vigor,  its  divine  hopefulness  —  all  are  mirrored 
in  our  short  stories. 

Yet  the  day  of  the  short  story  has  only  begun,  The  story 
teller,  by  necessity,  has  made  a  study  of  words,  of  direct 
picturesque  expression.  He  has  so  little  space  that  a  poor 
style  will  show  all  its  faults.  Probably  there  is  not  a  single 
successful  story  teller  who  has  not  thought  and  puzzled  and 
toiled  through  books  and  muddled  his  pages  into  a  quagmire 
of  ink  and  flogged  his  brain  to  win  the  Sphynx's  secret, 
style.  They  tell  of  Theopile  Gautier  that  he  used  to  ''de 
vour  dictionaries  in  search  of  words  ".  One  can  imagine 
that  Amelie  Rives  has  followed  his  example.  Short  story 
writers  are  tempted  to  place  an  inordinate  value  on  words, 
on  single  phrases  that  light  a  situation  with  a  flare.  Espe 
cially  do  young  writers  have  a  hankering  for  color  in  style. 
They  sacrifice  form,  harmony,  the  delicate  graces  of  expres 
sion,  the  charm  and  rest  of  half  tints  to  a  passionate  and 
wearisome  splendor.  Each  sentence  is  so  brilliant,  there  is 
no  climax.  A  style  of  this  kind  makes  the  eyes  ache. 


ALICE    FRENCH.  277 

Strange  and  far-fetched  similes  are  part  of  such  a  style  and 
poor  nature  has  more  personifications  than  she  was  given  by 
Greek  mythology.  The  wind  cannot  even  blow  in  straight 
forward,  unadorned  English :  it  will  "  tremble  "  or  "  rave  " 
or,  at  best,  be  "  atilt  through  the  lush  grasses  ",  nor  does  it 
mend  matters  by  ceasing  to  blow,  in  that  case  it  is  liable  to 
be  "aswoon". 


MISS  CONWAY'S  HORSE. 

(From  the  Pocket  Magazine.  1898} 

The  surrey  remained  in  the  same  spot.  That  was  the 
cause  of  the  universal  enjoyment  on  the  street.  Doolan, 
the  coachman,  struck  the  horse  again. 

The  horse  slightly  heaved  his  flanks.  It  was  a  motion  in 
a  horse  that  might  be  compared  to  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders 
in  a  man.  But  he  did  not  stir.  He  was  a  wonderful  bay, 
having  a  glossy  skin  and  a  restless  eye.  Doolan  tried  new 
tactics.  He  made  an  encouraging  chirrup  with  his  lips,  and 
said,  "Sam!"  encouragingly.  But  Sam  merely  braced  his 
fore  legs  and  rolled  his  eyes  back  on  his  blinders  with  their 
shining  silver  C,  and  took  a  fresh  hold  on  his  bit. 

"Horse  balky?"  inquired  the  barkeeper,  cheerful  and 
interested. 

(t  He's  a  bit  narvous  and  high-spirited,"  answered 
Doolan,  stiff  and  dignified. 

Doolau  struck  again  and  harder.  With  an  indescribable 
expression  of  patient  martyrdom  Sam  took  the  blow  and 
did  not  move. 

"  I  had  a  balky  horse,  once,"  the  barkeeper  observed;  the 
crowd  by  this  time  being  swelled  by  four  more  men,  and 
two  women  in  plain,  scant,  short  skirts,  basques  of  an  an 
tique  cut  and  checked  aprons. 

"Vat  did  you  done  to  your  balky  boss?"  one  of  the 
women  said  to  the  barkeeper.  The  crowd  hung  on  his 
answer;  Miss  Conway  leaned  a  little  forward. 

"  I  sold  him,"  said  the  barkeeper,  with  the  effect  of  mak 
ing  a  joke. 

"  You  git  out!  "  reproved  the  wrinkled  man,  "you  don't 
know  nothing  'bout  hosses.  Young  feller,  you  jump  down 
and  lead  the  critter  a  bit;  and  he'll  go  all  right." 


278      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Doolan  cast  an  oblique  glance  of  scorn  at  the  adviser  and 
did  not  move. 

Neither  did  Sam. 

"Lady,"  continued  the  wrinkled  mau,  fl  you  tell  that 
smart  Alick  to  git  out  and  lead  the  hoss  —  " 

"  With  his  head  blinded!  " 

11  No,  jest  his  head  kept  so  he  can't  move!  " 

"  Build  a  fire  under  the  wagon,  he'll  be  glad  enough  to  go 
then!  " 

"  Say,  Missis !  lemme  try  my  nigger  chaser  on  him,  I'll  git 
him  running!  " 

These  different  suggestions  were  fired  from  the  crowd  in 
almost  simultaneous  fusillade.  Miss  Conway  looked  anx 
iously  at  the  horse ;  she  said  something  to  Doolan, who  handed 
her  the  reins  and  got  down  scowling,  ironically  cheered  by 
the  boys.  But  alihough  he  went  to  the  horse's  head  and 
told  Sam,  "Good  Sam,  good  old  boy—  you  dom  divil"  to 
move  on,  there  was  no  persuading  Sam.  Then  he  set  his 
teeth,  sprang  back  into  his  seat  and  caught  up  the  whip. 

11  I'd  a  boggy  smashed  by  a  hoss  looked  like  that  one's 
twin  brother.  I  built  a  fire  under  that  hoss  one  day  and  he 
moved  jest  far  'nuff  to  set  the  wagon  afire.  /  say  unhitch 
him  and  maybe  that'll  fool  him,"  said  the  barkeeper. 

"  I  saw  a  dandy  thing  in  a  newspaper,  dead  sure  for  balky 
hosses  "  a  man  in  the  crowd  offered ;  u  it  had  reformed  more 
balky  hosses  than  any  remedy  they'd  tried  in  that  town  for 
a  year.  (The  crowd  showed  signs  of  interest;  Miss  Conway 
looked  at  the  speaker.)  I  wished  to  goodness  I  could 
remember  it!  Queer  I  can't.  It  was  a  real  simple  thing." 

"Maybe  so  you  vas  to  gif  him  some  nice  grass,"  one  of 
the  women  suggested.  "  I  go  git  you  some.  You  valk 
ahead  und  he  coom  after  till  he  git  by  dis  blace  und  den  he 
go  all  right.  You  see!  " 

But  the  gentle  homeopathic  remeny  of  grass  tendered  by 
his  mistress  in  person,  was  as  useless  as  Doolau's  heroic 
medicines  of  whip  and  voice.  Sam  hung  his  head.  He 
looked  as  if  he  wanted  —  if  such  a  thing  may  be  said  of 
a  horse  —  to  burst  into  tears;  but  he  did  not  take  a  step 
toward  the  tempter.  Miss  Conway  was  standing  in  the 
dust,  the  pretty  yellow  chrysanthemums  of  her  filmy  gown 
shifting  about  her  in  the  wind,  uncomfortably  warm  with 
her  exertions,  her  dainty  white  hat  blown  to  one  side,  and 


ALICE    FRENCH.  279 

the  white  Chuddah  shawl  that  she  carried,  fluttering  from 
her  arm. 

Sam  apparently  thought  well  of  her  looks,  for  he  rubbed 
his  head  against  her  shoulder  with  a  little  contented  — 
or  was  it  complacent?  —  whinney.  Miss  Conway's  eyes 
flashed.  With  a  sudden  movement  she  wound  her  shawl 
about  the  beast's  head  and  bent  over  the  place  where  his 
ear  was  wriggling,  holding  the  ear  steadily  with  both  hands. 
"  If  you  don't  go  I'll  sell  you  to-morrow!  "  She  called  in 
his  ear,  and  tugged  at  the  bit. 

Now,  whether  the  unusual  attack  disconcerted  the  firm 
soul  of  Sam  so  that,  in  an  amaze  and  vacillation  of  mind 
such  as  is  known  to  undermine  the  strongest  spirits  when 
assailed  unaware,  he  weakened  in  his  intent,  or  whether  he 
simply  had  stood  as  long  as  he  wished  and  was  now  ready 
to  go  on  again,  it  is  certain  that  Sam  allowed  himself  to  be 
led  a  block;  and  that  at  the  end  of  his  walk,  Miss  Gonway 
having  removed  the  shawl  and  stepped  into  the  surrey,  he 
instantly  trotted  off  briskly  and  vigorously,  his  head  in  the 
air  and  his  eyes  forward. 

Miss  Conway  drew  a  long  sigh. 

"  What  a  horse,  Doolan!  "   she  exclaimed. 

"He's  a  fright!  "  said  Doolan. 


EMERSON  HOUGH. 

Emerson  Hough  was  born  in  Newton,  Jasper 
County,  Iowa,  on  June  28,  1857.  Three  years 
before  his  birth,  his  parents,  Joseph  Bond  and 
Elizabeth  Hough,  moved  to  Iowa  from  Loudoun 
County,  Virginia.  The  Hough  family  is  an  old 
one  in  America.  Richard  Hough,  a  friend  of 
William  Penn,  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in 
1683.  The  Houghs  subsequently  removed  to 
Loudoun  County,  Virginia,  from  Pennsylvania, 
and  other  branches  of  the  family  removed  to 
other  parts  of  the  country  at  still  later  dates. 
Most  of  them  are  Quakers. 

Joseph  Bond  Hough  was  what  may  be  called 
a  typical  American.  He  was  about  six  feet  in 
height,  with  light  hair  and  blue  eyes,  and  was 
physically  very  strong  and  hardy.  He  was  an 
out-door  man  and  a  good  shot  with  either  a  rifle 
or  a  gun;  he  was  also  an  accomplished  writer. 
Emerson  Hough's  love  for  out-door  sports  and 
pastimes,  and  his  fondness  for  writing  of  such 
topics,  came  to  him  naturally.  He  is  a  good 
shot  himself,  with  all  manner  of  weapons.  Most 
of  his  writings  are  on  out-door  topics. 

In  1880,  he  graduated  at  the  State  University 

of    Iowa,  after  having  obtained  a  High    School 

education    at    Newton.     His    youth    was    spent 

like  that  of  most  village  boys.      He  has  several 

(280) 


EMERSON    HOUGH.  281 

brothers  and  sisters.  The  circumstances  of  the 
family  were  good  until  late  in  his  father's  life, 
when  he  failed  in  business.  In  1882, our  author 
went  to  White  Oaks,  in  Lincoln  County,  New 
Mexico  —  having  priorty,  in  1881,  been  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  Newton,  Iowa.  In  New  Mexico  he 
was  on  the  frontier,  in  a  wild  and  rough  com 
munity.  He  prizes  this  year  of  his  life  very 
much.  But  there  was  very  little  legal  practice 
to  be  obtained  in  such  a  place,  and  so  he  left 
New  Mexico,  and  ever  since  has  lived  in  many 
parts  of  the  West,  from  Montana  to  Texas. 
Since  a  little  more  than  a  dozen  years  he  has 
made  his  home  in  Chicago,  though  he  traveled 
in  the  West  several  months  of  every  year. 

Mr.  Hough  has  been  engaged  in  newspaper  and 
magazine  work  since  a  number  of  years.  He  has 
published  "The  Singing  Mouse  Stories  "  (New 
York,  1895),  the  chapters  of  which  are  so  many 
reveries ;  the  book  is  full  of  poetic  feeling ; 
"  The  Story  of  the  Cowboy  "  (New  York,  1897), 
a  vivid  picture  of  ranch  life  in  the  far  Northwest 
and  Southwest:  "The  Girl  at  the  Halfway 
House";  "The  Mississippi  Bubble";  and, 
"  The  Way  to  the  West  "  (Indianapolis,  1903). 
Of  these,  "  The  Mississippi  Bubble  "  is  the  most 
widely  read  and  circulated.  "  The  Way  to  the 
West"  presents  us  with  an  historical  panorama 
of  pioneer  life  in  the  early  West,  and  contains 
biographies  of  Daniel  Boone,  David  Crockett  and 
Kit  Carson.  His  next  novel,  which  he  informs 
me  will  be  published  in  a  few  months,  will  deal 


282      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

in  part  with  the  negro  problem  in  the  South. 
He  has  contributed  to  the  best  magazines  in  the 
country,  and  he  is  no  doubt  entering  upon  his 
greatest  period  of  literary  activity. 

Mr.  Hough  married  Charlotte  A.  Cheesebro  of 
Chicago,  October  26,  1897.  t  There  is  no  issue 
of  this  marriage.  In  1889,  he  traveled  through 
Yellowstone  Park,  and  has  since  induced  Con 
gress  to  pass  an  act  protecting  the  Park  buffaloes. 
Much  may  yet  be  expected  from  his  pen. 


THE  AMERICAN  RIFLE. 

(From"  The  Way  to  the  West.") 

Witness  this  sweet  ancient  weapon  of  our  fathers,  the 
American  rifle,  maker  of  states,  empire  builder.  Useful  as 
its  cousin,  the  ax,  it  is  in  design  simple  as  the  ax;  in  outline 
severe,  practicable,  purposeful  in  every  regard.  It  is  devoid 
of  ornamentation.  The  brass  that  binds  the  foot  of  the 
stock  is  there  to  protect  the  wood.  The  metal  guard  below 
the  lock  is  to  preserve  from  injury  the  light  set-triggers. 
The  serrated  edges  of  the  lock  plate  may  show  rude  file 
marks  of  a  certain  pattern,  but  they  are  done  more  in  care 
less  strength  than  in  cunning  or  in  delicacy.  This  is  no 
belonging  of  a  weak  or  savage  man.  It  is  the  weapon  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon;  that  is  to  say,  the  Anglo-Saxon  in  America; 
who  invented  it  because  he  had  need  of  it. 

This  arm  was  born  of  the  conditions  that  surrounded  our 
forefathers  in  the  densely  covered  slopes  of  the  Appalachian 
Divide,  in  whose  virgin  forests  there  was  for  the  most  part 
small  opportunity  for  extended  vision,  hence  little  necessity 
for  a  weapon  of  long  range.  The  game  or  the  enemy  with 
which  the  early  frontiersman  was  concerned  was  apt  to  be 
met  at  distances  of  not  more  than  a  hundred  or  two  hundred 
yards,  and  the  early  rifle  was  perfect  for  such  ranges. 

Moreover,  it  was  only  with  great  difficulty  that  the  fron 
tiersman  transported  any  weighty  articles  on  the  Western 


EMERSON    HOUGH.  283 

pilgrimage.  Lead  was  heavy,  powder  was  precious,  the 
paths  back  to  the  land  of  such  commodities  long  aud  ardu 
ous.  A  marvel  of  adaptation,  the  American  rifle  swiftly 
grew  to  a  practical  perfection.  Never  in  the  history  of  the 
arms  of  nations  has  there  been  produced  a  weapon  whose 
results  have  been  more  tremendous  in  comparison  to  the 
visible  expenditure  of  energy;  never  has  there  been  a  more 
economical  engine,  or  an  environment  where  economy  was 
more  imperative. 

The  ball  of  the  American  rifle  was  small,  forty,  sixty  or 
perhaps  one  hundred  of  them  weighing  scarcely  more  than  a 
pound.  The  little,  curving  horn,  filled  with  the  precious 
powder  grains,  carried  enough  to  furnish  many  shots.  The 
stock  of  the  rifle  itself  gave  housing  to  the  little  squares  of 
linen  or  fine  leather  with  which  the  bullet  was  patched  in 
loading.  With  this  tiny  store  of  powder  and  lead,  easily 
portable  food  for  this  providentially  contrived  weapon,  the 
American  frontiersman  passed  on  silently.through  the  forest, 
a  master,  an  arbiter,  ruler  of  savage  beast  or  savage  foeman, 
and  in  time  master  of  the  civilized  antagonist  that  said  him 
nay. 

We  shall  observe  that  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  was  the 
starting  point  of  the  westward  movement  of  our  frontiers 
men.  We  shall  find  also  that  the  first  American  small-bore 
is  thought  to  have  originated  in  the  German  states  of  the 
Palatinate,  but  it  was  left  for  America  to  prove  it  and  to 
perfect  its  use. 

At  Lancasier,  Pennsylvania,  there  was  a  rifle  maker,  prob 
ably  a  German  by  birth,  by  name  Decherd  or  Dechert,  who 
begun  to  outline  the  type  of  the  American  squirrel-rifle  or 
hunting  arm.  This  man  had  an  apprentice,  one  Mills,  with 
ideas  of  his  own.  We  see  this  apprentice  and  his  improved 
rifle  presently  in  North  Carolina;  and  soon  thereafter  rifle 
makers  spring  up  all  over  the  east  slope  of  the  Alleghanies, 
so  that  as  though  by  magic  all  our  hunters  and  frontiersmen 
are  equipped  with  this  long  rifle,  shooting  the  tiny  ball,  and 
shooting  it  with  an  accuracy  hitherto  deemed  impossible  in 
the  achievements  of  firearms. 

Withal  we  may  call  this  a  Southern  arm,  since  New  En 
gland  was  later  in  taking  up  its  use,  clinging  to  the  Queen 
Ann  musket  when  the  men  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia 
scorned  to  shoot  a  squirrel  anywhere  except  in  the  head. 


284     LITEKATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

The  first  riflemen  of  the  Revolutionary  War  were  Pennsyl- 
vanians,  Virginians  and  Mary  landers,  all  Southerners;  and 
deadly  enough  was  their  skill  with  what  the  English  officers 
called  their  "  cursed  widow  and  orphan  makers  ". 

The  barrel  of  the  typical  rifle  of  those  clays  was  about  four 
feet  in  length,  the  stock  slender,  short  and  strongly  curved, 
so  that  the  sights  came  easily  and  directly  up  to  the  level  of 
the  eye  in  aiming.  The  sights  were  low  and  close  to  the 
barrel,  some  pieces  being  provided  with  two  hind  sights,  a 
foot  or  so  apart,  so  that  the  marksman  might  not  draw 
either  too  floe  or  too  coarse  a  bead  with  the  low  silver  or 
bone  crescent  of  the  fore  sight.  Usually  the  rear  sight  was 
a  simple,  flat  bar,  finely  notched,  and  placed  a  foot  or  fifteen 
inches  in  front  of  the  breach  of  the  barrel,  so  that  the  eye 
should  focus  easily  and  sharply  at  the  notch  of  the  rear 
sight.  Such  was  the  care  with  which  the  sights  were 
adjusted  that  the  rifleman  sometimes  put  the  finishing 
touches  on  the  notch  with  so  soft  a  cutting  tcol  as  a  com 
mon  pin,  working  away  patiently,  a  little  at  a  time,  lest  he 
should  by  too  great  haste  go  too  deeply  into  the  rear  sight, 
and  so  cause  the  piece  to  shoot  otheiwise  than  "true". 

The  delicately  arranged  set-triggers  made  possible  an 
instantaneous  discharge  without  any  appreciable  disturbance 
of  the  aim  when  once  obtained;  and  the  long  distance 
between  the  hind  sight  and  fore  sight,  the  steadiness  of 
the  piece,  owing  to  its  length  and  weight,  the  closeness  of 
the  line  of  sight  to  the  line  of  the  trajectory  of  a  ball  driven 
with  a  relatively  heavy  powder  charge,  all 'conspired  to 
render  extreme  accuracy  possible  with  this  arm,  and  this 
accuracy  became  so  general  throughout  the  American 
frontier  that  to  be  a  poor  rifle  shot  was  to  be  an  object  of 
contempt.  *  *  * 

Powder  and  ball  were  precious  in  those  early  days,  and 
though  strong  men  ever  love  the  sports  of  weapons,  waste 
could  not  be  tolerated,  even  in  the  sport.  Sometimes  at 
night  the  frontiersmen  would  gather  for  the  pastime  of 
lf  snuffing  the  candle",  and  he  was  considered  a  clumsy 
rifleman  who  but  fanned  the  flame  with  his  bullet,  or  cut  too 
deeply  into  the  base  of  the  candle-wick,  and  so  extinguished 
the  light.  Again  the  riflemen  would  engage  in  "driving 
the  nail  "  with  the  rifle  ball,  or  would  shoot  at  a  tiny  spot 
of  black  on  a  board  or  a  blazed  tree -trunk,  firing  a  num.- 


EMERSON    HOUGH.  285 

ber  of  balls  into  the  same  mark.  In  nearly  all  such  cases 
the  balls  were  dug  out  of  the  tree  or  plank  into  which 
they  had  been  fired,  and  were  run  over  again  into  fresh 
bullets  for  use  at  another  time.  Thus  grew  the  skill  of  the 
American  rifleman,  with  "whose  weapon  most  of  the  feats  of 
latter  day  short-range  marksmanship  could  be  duplicated. 

The  early  American  depended  upon  his  rifle  in  supporting 
and  defending  the  family.  Without  it  he  had  not  dared 
to  move  across  the  Alleghanies.  With  it  he  dared  to  go 
anywhere,  knowing  that  it  would  furnish  him  food  and 
fending.  When  the  deer  and  turkey  became  less  numerous 
near  him,  he  moved  his  home  further  westward,  where 
game  was  more  abundant. 

His  progress  was  bitterly  contested  by  the  Indian  savages, 
all  the  way  across  the  American  continent,  but  they 
perished  before  this  engine  of  civilization,  which  served  its 
purpose  across  the  timbered  Appalachians,  down  the 
watershed  to  the  Mississippi,  up  the  long  and  winding 
streams  of  the  western  lands,  over  the  Rockies,  and  down 
the  slopes  of  the  Sierras  to  the  farther  sea.  Had  it  never 
known  change  it  had  not  been  American.  An  ax  is  an  ax, 
because  a  tree  is  a  tree,  whether  in  the  Alleghanies  or  the 
Rockies;  but  the  rifle  met  in  the  time  different  conditions. 
The  great  plains  furnished  larger  game  animals,  and 
demanded  longer  range  in  arms,  so  that  in  time  the  rifle 
shot  a  heavier  ball. 

So  were  equipped  the  early  Americans,  gaunt,  keen,  tire 
less,  that  marched  to  meet  the  invading  forces  at  the  Battle 
of  New  Orleans;  and  when  the  officers  of  the  British  army, 
on  the  day  after  that  stricken  field,  found  half  their  dead 
shot  between  the  eyes,  they  knew  they  could  lead  their 
troops  no  more  against  such  weaponry  and  such  weapon 
bearers.  The  rifle  had  won  the  West,  and  it  would  hold  it 
fast. 


KUTH  McENERY  STUART. 

Mrs.  Ruth  McEnery  Stuart  is  the  authoress  of 
some  of  the  most  popular  stories  written  of  late 
years — "  Sonney  "  (New  York,  1896);  "Sol- 
onion  Crow's  Christmas  Pockets"  (New  York, 
1897);  "  In  Simpkinsville  "  (New  York,  1899); 
and,  "  Napoleon  Jackson  "  (New  York,  1902). 

She  was  born  in  Avoyles  Parish,  Louisiana. 
Her  earlier  years  were  spent  in  New  Orleans 
during  the  Civil  War,  "  tire  and  smoke  and 
armed  soldiers  standing  out  as  high  lights  in  the 
memory-pictures  of  her  youth  ".  There  she 
married,  and  from  1879  to  1883,  she  lived  on  her 
husband's  plantation  in  Arkansas,  where  she  con 
tinued  her  studies  of  the  dialect,  habits,  customs, 
superstition,  etc.,  of  the  Southern  negro.  She 
candidly  admits  that  she  has  imbibed  a  few  super 
stitions  herself,  but  she  laughingly  declares  that 
they  are  "  really  sentiments  that  cling  to  early 
memories,  rather  than  beliefs  in  signs  and  por 
tents  ' ' . 

Mrs.  Stuart  is  not  addicted  to  books  and  to 
study;  she  is  a  close  observer  and  has  acquired  a 
generous  knowledge  of  human  nature,  being  par 
ticularly  alive  to  the  original  and  distinctive 
features  of  the  people  she  is  in  contact  with  in 
daily  life.  She  is  tall,  slightly  built,  and  has  a 
peculiarly  tender  expression  about  the  mouth ; 
(286) 


RUTH    McENERY    STUART.  287 

her  eyes  are  soft  brown,  her  hair  is  of  the  same 
color,  and  her  complexion  is  fair. 

Other  books  by  Mrs.  Stuart  are:  "Carlotte's 
Intended"  (New  York,  1894);  "  Gobelinks  " 
(New  York,  1896),  written  with  Albert  Biglow 
Paine;  "The  Story  of  Babette "  (New  York, 
1898);  "  Moriah's  Mourning,  and  Other  Sto 
ries  "  (New  York,  1898)  ;  "  Holly  and  Pizen  " 
(New  York,  1899);  "A  Golden  Wedding,  and 
Other  Tales  "  (New  York,  1900),  etc. 

Mr.  Harrison  S.  Morris,  in  Book  News,  thus 
writes  of  Mrs.  Stuart :  "  The  love  of  such  humor 
as  lies  next  to  tears  is  Kuth  McEnery  Stuart's 
birthright.  She  has  seized  the  heart  of  Simp- 
kinsville's  mystery,  and  laughs  good-naturedly 
at  its  follies ;  but  she  is  kindling  with  sympathy 
for  its  homely  tragedies  and  tragi-comedies. 
She  can  poke  fun  at  '  Mr.  Tornpkins',  but  she 
pities  him  all  the  same.  This  is  the  quality 
which  gives  Mrs.  Stuart's  book  of  tales,  '  In 
Simpkinsville ',  an  enduring  element  absent 
from  many  kindred  collections.  It  appeals  to 
two  of  our  liveliest  emotions.  It  is  hard  to  keep 
back  the  tears  over  the  poor  demented  and 
wronged  Mary  Ellen  and  her  doll;  but  to  let 
one's  self  go  over  the  predicament  of  *  Tomp- 
kins  '  is  a  wholesome  delight.  There  are  seven 
longish  short  stories  in  the  volume  and  some  apt 
illustrations.  The  book  has  a  homespun  texture 
woven  of  the  soil.  It  is  an  American  product, 
as  native  as  green  corn  and  as  juicy." 

Mrs.   Stuart    has    frequently    given    readings 


288     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

from  her  writings  in  several  of  the  principal 
eastern  cities,  and  occasionally  fills  temporary 
vacancies  in  the  editorial  chairs  of  Harper's 
Bazar  and  Harper's  Young  Peoph.  As  a 
writer  of  negro  dialect,  she  has  110  superior. 
Since  some  years  she  is  a  resident  of  New  York. 


LADY:  A  MONOLOGUE  OF  THE  COW-PEN. 

(From  "  Moriah's  Mourning."    Copyright,  189S,  by  Harper 

and  Brothers  ) 

Umh!  Fur  Gord  sake,  des  look  at  dem  cows!  All  squez 
up  together 'g'ins' dem  bars  in  dat  sof  mud  — des  like  I 
kaowed  dey  gwine  be  —  an'  me  late  at  my  milkin'!  You, 
Lady!  Ttck  yo'  proud  neck  down  fora  off  dat  heifer's 
head!  Back,  I  tell  yer!  Don't  tell  me,  Spot!  Yas,  I  know 
she  impose  on  you  —  yas  she  do.  Keachin'  her  monst'ous 
mouf  clair  over  yo'  po'  little  muley  head.  Move  back,  I 
say,  Lady!  Ef  you  so  biggoty,  why  don't  you  fool  wid 
some  o'  dem  horn  cows?  You  is  a  lady,  eve'y  inch  of  yer  ! 
You  knows  who  to  fool  wid.  You  isde  uppishes'  cow  I  ever 
see  in  all  my  life  —  puttin'  on  so  much  style  —  an'  yo'  milk 
so  po'  an'  blue,  I  could  purty  nigh  blue  my  starch  clo'es 
wid  it.  Look  out  dar,  Peggy,  how  you  squeeze  'g'ins'  Lady  ! 
She  ain' gwine  teck  none  o'  yo'  foolishness.  Peggy  ain't 
got  a  speck  o'  manners!  Lady  b'longs  ter  de  cream  o' 
s'ciety,  I  have  yer  know,  —  an'  bless  Gord,  I  b'lieve  dat's 
all  de  cream  dey  is  about  her.  Hyah!  fur  Gord's  sak^ 
lis'n  at  me,  passin'  a  joke  on  Lady! 

I  does  love  to  pleg  dera  cows  —  dey  teck  it  so  good- 
natured.  Heap  o'  us  'omans  mought  teck  lessons  in  Chris 
tianity  f ' om  a  cow  —  de  way  she  stan'  so  still  an'  des  look 
mild -eyed  an'  chaw  'er  cud  when  anybody  sass  'er.  Dey'd 
be  a  heap  less  fam'ly  quar'lin'  on  dis  plantation  ef  de 
'omans  had  cuds  ter  chaw  —  dat  is  ef  dey'd  be  satisfied  ter 
chaw  dey  own.  But  ef  dey  was  ter  have  'em  'twouldn't  be 
no  time  befo'  dey'd  be  cud  fights  eve'y  day  in  week,  eve'y 
one  thinkin'  de  nex'  one  had  a  sweeter  moufful  'n  what  she 


RUTH  McENERY  STUART.          289 

had.  Reckon  we  got  'nough  ter  go  to  law  'bout,  widout 
cuds  —  ain't  we  Lady?  Don't  start  pawin'  de  grojin'  now, 
des  caze  yer  heah  me  speculatin'  at  yo'  feed-trough.  I  kin 
talk  an'  work  too.  I  ain't  like  you  —  nuver  do  n  'air  one. 

I  ain't  gvviue  pay  no  'tention  ter  none  o'  y'all  no  mo'  now 
tell  I  git  yo'  supper  ready.  Po'  little  Brindle!  Stan'  so 
still,  an'  ain't  say  a  word.  I'm  a-fixin'  yo'  feed  now, 
honey  — yas,  I  is!  I  allus  mixes  yo's  fust,  caze  I  know  you 
nuver  gits  in  till  de  las'  one  an'  some  o'  de  rest  o'  de 
greedies  mos'  gin'ally  eats  it  up  fo'  you  gits  it. 

She's  a  Scriptu'al  cow,  Brindle  is  —  she  so  meek. 

Yas,  I  sho'  does  love  Brindle.  Any  cow  dat  kin  walk  in 
so  'umble,  after  all  de  res'  git  done,  an'  pick  up  a  little 
scrap  o'  leavin's  out  'n  de  trough  de  way  she  do  — an'  turn 
it  eve'y  bit  into  good  yaller  butter  —  dat  what  I  calls  a  covv! 
Co'se  I  know  Lady'll  git  in  here  ahead  o'  yer,  honey,  an' 
eat  all  dis  mash  I'm  inixin'  so  good  fur  you.  It  do  do  me 
good  to  see  'er  do  it,  too.  I  sho'  does  love  Lady  —  de  way 
'er  manners  sets  on  'er.  She  don't  count  much  at  de 
churn  —  an'  she  ain't  got  no  conscience  —  an'  no  cha'acter  — 
but  she's  a  lady!  Dat's  huccome  I  puts  up  wid  'er.  Yas, 
I'm  talkin'  'bout  you,  Lady,  an'  I'm  a-lookin'  at  yer,  too, 
rahin'  yo'  head  up  so  circumstantial.  But  you  meets  my 
eye  like  a  lady!  You  ain't  shame-faced,  is  yer!  You  too 
well  riz — you  is.  Yon  know  dat  /know  dat  yo'  po'  measly 
sky  colored  milk  sours  up  into  mighty  fine  clabber  ter  feed 
yo'ng  turkeys  wid  —  you  an'  me,  we  knows  dat,  don't  we? 

Hyah!  Dar,  now,  we  done  turned  de  joke  on  all  you  yal- 
ler-creamers  —  ain't  we,  Lady? 

Lordy !  I  wonder  fo'  gracious  ef  Lady  nod  her  head  to  me 
accidental! 

Is  you  'spondin'  ter  me,  Lady?  Tell  de  trufe,  I  spec's 
Lady  ter  twis'  up  'er  tongue  an'  talk  some  day  —  she  work 
'er  mouf  so  knowin  ' ! 

Dis  heah  cotton-seed  ought  ter  be  tooken  out'n  her 
trough,  by  rights.  Ef  I  could  feed  her  on  bran  an'  good 
warm  slops  a  while,  de  churn  would  purty  soon  'spute  her 
rights  wid  de  tukkeys! 

A.  high-toned  cow,  proud  as  Lady  is,  ought  ter  reach 
white-folk's  table  somehow-ma-ruther.  But  you  gits  dar 
all  the  same,  don't  yer  Lady?  You  gits  dar  in  tukkey-meat 
ef  (ley  dori*t  rec'nize  yer! 

19 


290     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Well!  I'm  done  mixin'  now  an'  turns  my  back  on  de 
trough  —  an'  advance  ter  de  bars.  Lordy,  how  purty  dem 
cows  does  look  — widdat  low  sun  'g'ins'  dey  backs!  So 
patient  an'  yit  so  onpatient. 

Back,  now,  till  I  teck  out  dese  rails! 

Soh,  now!  Easy,  Spot!  Easy,  Lady!  I  does  love  ter 
let  down  dese  bars  wid  de  sun  in  ray  eyes.  I  loves  it  raos' 
as  good  as  I  loves  ter  milk. 

Down  she  goes! 

Step  up  quick,  now,  Brindle,  an'  git  yo'  place.  Lard  have 
mussy!  Des  look  how  Brmdle  meek  way  fur  Lady!  I 
know'd  Lady'd  git  dar  fust!  I  know'd  it! 

An'  dat's  huccome  I  mixed  dat  feed  so  purtic'lar. 

I  does  love  Lady ! 


AN  EASTER  SYMBOL. 

(From   "  Moriah's  Mourning."     Copyright,  1S98,  by   Har 
per  and  Brothers.) 
Speaker:     A  Black  Girl. 
Time:     Easter  Morning. 

u  'Scuse  me  knockin'  at  yo'  do'  so  early,  Miss  Bettie, 
but  I'se  in  trouble.  Don't  set  up  in  bed.  Jes'  lay  still  an' 
lemme  talk  to  yer. 

u  I  come  to  ax  yer  to  please  ma'am  loaned  me  a  pair 
o'wings,  mistus.  No'm,  I  ain't  crazy.  I  mean  what  I  say. 

"You  see,  to-day's  Easter  Sunday,  Miss  Bettie,  an'  we 
havin'  a  high  time  in  our  chu'ch.  An'  I'se  gwine  sing  de 
special  Easter  carol,  wid  Freckled  Frances  an'  Lame  Jake 
jiniu'  in  de  chorus  in  our  choir.  Hit's  one  o'  deze  heah 
visible  choirs  sot  up  nex'  to  de  pulpit  in  front  o'  de  congre 
gation. 

"  Of  co'se,  me  singin'  de  high  solo  makes  me  de  princi- 
plest  flggur,  so  we  'ranged  fur  me  to  stan'  in  de  middle, 
wid  Frances  an'  Jake  on  my  right  an'  lef '  sides,  an'  I  got  a 
bran  new  tarlton  frock  wid  spangles  on  it,  an'  a  Easter 
lily  wreath  all  ready.  Of  co'se,  me  being  de  fust  singer, 
dat  entitles  me  to  wear  de  highest  plumage,  an'  Frances, 
she  knows  dat,  an'  she  'lowed  to  me  she  was  going  to  wear 
that  white  nainsook  lawn  you  gi'n  'er,  an'  des  a  plain  sec- 


RUTH    McENERY    STUART.  291 

ondary  hat,  an'  at  de  p'iated  tune  we  all  three  got  to  rise 
an'  courtesy  to  de  congregation,  an'  den  bu'st  into  song. 
Lame  Jake  gwine  wear  dat  white  cluck  suit  o'  Marse  John's 
an'  a  Easter  lily  in  his  button-hole. 

"Well,  hit  was  all  fixed  dat-a-way,  peacable  an'proper,  but 
you  know  de  trouble  is  Freckled  Frances  is  jealous-hearted, 
an'  she  ain't  got  no  principle.  I  tell  you,  Miss  Bettie,  when 
niggers  gits  white  enough  to  freckle,  you  look  out  for  'era  ! 
Dey  jes  advanced  fur  enough  along  to  show  white  ambition 
an'  nigger  principle!  An'  dat's  a  dinge'ous  mixture! 

"An'  Frances—?  She  ain't  got  no  mo'  principle  'n  a 
suck-aig  dorg!  Ever  sence  we  'ranged  dat  Easter  pro 
gramme,  she  been  studyin'  up  some  awdacious  way  to  outdo 
me  to-day  in  de  face  of  eve'ybody. 

"But  I'm  jes  one  too  many  fur  any  yaller  freckled-faced 
nigger.  I'm  black  —  but  dey's  a  heap  o'  trouble  come  out  o' 
ink  bottles  befo'  to'clay! 

"  I  done  had  my  eye  on  Frances!  An'  fur  de  las'  week  I 
taken  notice  ev'ry  time  we  had  a  choir  practisin ',  Fran 
ces,  she'd  fetch  in  some  talk  about  butterflies  bein'  a  Easter 
sign  o'  de  resurrection  o'  de  dead,  an'  all  sech  as  dat. 
Well,  I  know  Frances  don't  keer  no  mo'  'bout  de  resurrec 
tion  o'  de  dead  'n  nothin'.  Frances  is  too  tuck  up  wid  dis 
life  fur  dat!  So  I  watched  her.  An'  las'  night  I  ketched  up 
wid  'er. 

"  You  no  dat  grea'  big  silk  paper  butterfly  you  had  on  yo' 
planner  lamp,  Miss  Bettie?  She's  got  it  pyrched  up  on  a 
wire  on  top  o'  dat  secondary  hat,  an'  she's  a-flxin'  it  to  wear  to 
church  to-day.  But  she  don't  know  I  know  it.  You  see, 
she  knows  I  kin  sing  all  over  her,  an'  dat's  huccome  she's 
a-projectin'  to  ketch  de  eyes  o'  de  congregation! 

"  But  ef  you'll  he'p  me  out,  Miss  Bettie,  we'll  fix  'er.  You 
know  dem  yaller  gauzy  wings  you  wo'e  in  de  tableaux?  Ef 
you'll  loand  'em  to  me  an'  help  me  on  wid  'em  terreckly 
when  I'm  dressed,  I'll  be  a  whole  live  butterfly,  an'  I  bet  yer 
when  I  flutters  into  dat  choir,  Freckled  Frances  '11  feel  like 
snatchin'  dat  lamp  shade  off  her  hat,  slip's  you  born !  An' 
fur  ouce-t  I'm  proud  I'm  so  black  complected,  caze  black  an' 
yaller,  dey  goes  togather  fur  butterflies! 

"  Frances  'lowed  to  kill  me  out  to-day,  but  I  lay  when  she 
sets  eyes  on  de  yaller-winged  butterfly  she'll  'preciate  de 
resurrection  o'  de  dead  ef  she  never  done  it  befo'  in  her 
life." 


MARY  N.  MURFREE. 

The  short  stories  of  Tennessee  mountain  life 
contributed  to  an  Eastern  magazine  by  "  Charles 
Egbert  Craddock"  in  the  seventies,  showed 
such  marked  individuality  of  character,  that 
Miss  Murfree  at  once  began  to  be  regarded  as 
one  of  the  leaders  in  the  new  school  of  South 
western  fiction  writers  then  rapidly  coming  to 
the  front. 

She  is  the  daughter  of  the  late  William  L. 
Murfree,  sr.,  who  removed  to  St.  Louis  from 
the  Tennessee  mountains  very  early  in  the  seven 
ties.  Mr.  Murfree  was  a  lawyer  bv  profession, 
and  in  St.  Louis  he  published  a  legal  treatise  on 
"  Sheriffs  "  which  is  still  regarded  by  lawyers 
as  an  authority  on  the  subject.  He  was  also, 
during  many  years,  a  frequent  contributor  to 
law  journals  and  reviews. 

In  St.  Louis,  Miss  Murfree  devoted  herself 
to  writing  short  stories  and  observations  of  life, 
sceuerv  and  character  in  her  beloved  Tennessee 
mountains.  Her  first  book,  a  collection  of  short 
stories,  published  under  the  title  of,  "  In  the 
Tennessee  Mountains"  (Boston,  1884),  met 
with  a  hearty  recognition  and  stamped  its  author 
at  once  as  a  close  analysis  of  character  and  a 
master  of  the  descriptive  art.  Since  the  publi 
cation  of  this  book,  she  has  been  a  frequent  con- 
(292) 


MARY    N.    MURFREE.  293 

tributor  to  Eastern  magazines  and  has  published 
a  number  of  other  books — indeed,  too  many  for 
her  literary  reputation.  The  list  includes  :  "  Where 
the  Battle  was  Fought"  (1884);  «  Down  the 
Ravine"  (1885);  "In  the  Clouds"  (1886); 
"  The  Story  of  Keedon  Bluffs  "  (1887) ;  "  The 
Prophet  of  the  Great  Smoky  Mountains" 
(1888);  "The  Despot  of  Broomsedge  Cove" 
(1888)  ;  "  A  Specter  of  Power  "  (1889) ;  «  The 
Juggler"  (1896);  "In  the  Stranger  People's 
Country  "  ;  "  The  Bushwackers  "  (1889)  ;  "  His 
Vanished  Star"  (1894);  "The  Story  of  Old 
Fort  London  "  (1899)  ;  "  The  Mystery  of  Witch 
Face  Mountain,  and  Other  Stories,"  and  several 
later  ones.  Her  books  all  bear  the  imprint  of 
a  Boston  publishing  house. 

Miss  Murfree  was  born  in  1858,  in  Nashville, 
Tennessee.  She  has  the  blood  of  revolutionary 
heroes  in  her  veins.  The  town  of  Murfreesboro, 
Tennessee,  took  its  name  from  her  family.  The 
family  fortunes  were  broken  by  the  Civil  War  of 
1861-65,  and  the  Murfrees removed  to  this  town 
when  Mary  was  a  little  girl.  They  spent  the 
summers  in  the  Tennessee  mountains.  A  partial 
paralysis  of  the  feet  prevented  Mary  from  run 
ning  about  and  taking  part  in  active  play.  She 
turned  to  mental  occupation.  Her  loss  was  the 
world's  gain.  With  her  deep,  bright,  gray  eyes, 
she  watched  the  mountaineers,  the  negroes,  and 
all  the  life  about  her,  unconsciously  making 
character  studies  for  her  future  stories.  So  she 


294     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

gathered  the  material  for  the  striking  sketches 
the  reading  public  is  now  familiar  with. 

Miss  Murfree  is  short  in  stature ;  she  has  a 
large  head  and  strong  features.  She  has  brown 
hair,  and  is  sunny-natured  and  full  of  humor. 
While  residing  in  St.  Louis,  her  study  was  in  the 
third  story  of  house  number  702  North  Jefferson 
avenue,  and  was  absolutely  forbidden  to  intrud 
ers.  Servants  never  entered  it,  and  only  mem 
bers  of  the  family  went  to  it  under  special 
circumstances.  When  working,  Miss  Murfree 
retired  to  this  study,  and  was  lost  to  the  outside 
world.  She  generally  worked  from  nine  in  the 
morning  until  dark.  She  is  not  a  rapid  or  finished 
composer;  her  writings  are  the  result  of  the  most 
exacting  and  conscientious  labor.  The  first 
sketch,  which  is  written  off  rapidly  and  fluently, 
is  worked  over  and  over  again  until  it  satisfies 
the  exacting  requirements  of  the  authoress' 
conception.  Every  word  is  gauged  and  care 
fully  weighed.  It  is  simply  a  matter  for  wonder 
that  she  produces  as  many  books  as  she  does  in 
the  time  she  devotes  to  work. 

Mr.  Will  Murfree,  jr.,  the  brother  of  Miss 
Murfree,  and  with  whom  I  had  a  law  office  early 
in  the  eighties,  once  told  me  that  his  sister  was  not 
only  an  indefatigable  worker,  but  also  untiring 
in  her  researches  after  the  minutest  facts,  and 
would  spend  hours  upon  hours  in  verifying  the 
smallest  details.  A  legal  question  was  involved 
in  a  point  in  her  "  Where  the  Battle  was 
Fought  ' ' ;  she  consulted  both  her  father  and  her 


MARY    N.    MURFKEE.  295 

brother,  but  even  after  so  doing,  she  was  not 
entirely  satisfied  until  she  had,  as  Will  said  with 
a  smile,  "  wasted  several  weeks  over  law  books 
and  court  decisions  in  law  journals  ". 


IKE  IIOODEN'S  HEROISM. 

(From  the  Youth's  Companion.  1886.) 

The  mists  had  lifted  from  it,  but  the  snow  had  fallen 
deep.  Poor  Valley  lay  white  and  drear,  — between  the  grim 
mountain  with  its  great  black  crags,  its  chasms,  its  gaunt, 
naked  trees,  and  the  long  line  of  knobs,  whose  stunted 
pines  bent  with  the  weight  of  the  snow. 

There  was  no  smoke  from  the  chimney  of  the  black 
smith's  shop.  There  were  no  tracks  about  the  door.  An 
atmosphere  charged  with  calamity  seemed  to  hang  over  the 
dwelling.  Somehow  he  knew  that  a  dreadful  thing  had 
happened  even  before  he  opened  the  door  and  saw  his 
mother's  mournful,  white  face. 

She  sprang  up  at  the  &ight  of  him,  with  a  wild,  sobbing 
cry  that  was  half-grief,  half -joy.  He  had  only  a  glimpse  of 
the  interior, — of  Jube,  looking  anxious  and  unnaturally 
grave;  of  the  listless  children,  grouped  about  the  fire;  of 
the  big,  burly  blacksmith,  with  a  strange,  deep  pallor  on 
his  face,  and  as  he  shifted  his  position,  —  why,  how  was 
that? 

The  boy's  mother  had  thrust  him  out  of  the  door,  and 
closed  it  behind  her.  The  jar  brought  down  from  the  low 
eaves  a  few  feathery  flakes  of  snow,  which  fell  upon  her 
hair  as  she  stood  there  with  him. 

fl  Don't  say  nuthin'  'bout'n  it,"  she  implored.  "He 
can't  abide  ter  hear  it  spoke  of." 

"  What  ails  dad's  hand?  "  he  asked,  bewildered. 

"It's  gone!"  she  sobbed.  "He  war  ter  Peter's  saw 
mill  day  ye  lef  —  somehow  'nuther  the  saw  cotched  it  — 
the  doctor  tuk  it  off." 

*'  His  right  hand!"  cried  Ike,  appalled. 

The  blacksmith  would  never  lift  a  hammer  again.  And 
there  the  forge  stood,  silent  and  smokeless. 


296     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

What  this  portended,  Ike  realized,  as  he  sat  with  them 
around  the  fire.  Their  sterile  fields  in  Poor  Valley  had 
only  served  to  eke  out  their  subsistence.  This  year  the 
corn-crop  had  failed,  and  the  wheat  was  hardly  better. 
The  winter  had  found  them  without  special  provision,  but 
without  special  anxiety,  for  the  anvil  had  always  amply 
supplied  their  simple  needs. 

Now  that  this  misfortune  had  befallen  them,  who  could 
say  what  was  before  them  unless  Ike  would  remain  and 
take  his  step-father's  place  at  the  forge?  Ike  knew  that  this 
contingency  must  have  occurred  to  them  as  well  as  to  him. 
He  knew  it  by  the  anxious,  furtive  glances  which  they  one 
and  all  cast  upon  him  from  time  to  time,  —  even  Pearce 
Tatam,  whose  turn  it  was  now  to  feel  that  greatest  anguish 
of  calamity,  helplessness. 

But  must  he  relinquish  his  hopes,  his  chance  of  an  edu 
cation,  that  plucky  race  for  which  he  was  entered  to  over 
take  the  world  that  had  a  hundred  years  the  start  of  him, 
and  he  forever  a  nameless,  futureless  clod  in  Poor 
Valley? 

His  mother  had  the  son  she  had  chosen.  And  surely  he 
owed  no  duty  to  Pearce  Tatam.  The  hand  that  was  gone 
had  been  a  hard  hand  to  him. 

He  rose  at  length.     He  put  on  his  leather  apron. 

"  Waal,  —  I  mought  ez  well  g'long  ter  the  shop,  I  reck 
ons,"  he  remarked,  calmly.  "  'Pears  like  thar's  time  yit 
fur  a  tolor'ble  spat  o'  work  afore  dark." 

It  was  a  hard- won  victory.  Even  yet  he  experienced  a  sort 
of  satisfaction  in  knowing  that  Pearce  Tatam  must  feel 
humiliated  and  of  small  account  to  be  thus  utterly  depend 
ent  for  his  bread  upon  the  boy  whom  he  had  so  persistently 
maltreated.  In  his  pale  face  Ike  saw  something  of  the  bit- 
ternes  she  had  endured,  of  his  broken  spirit,  of  his  humbled 
pride. 

The  look  smote  upon  the  boy's  heart.  There  was  another 
inward  struggle.  Then  he  said,  as  if  it  were  a  result  of  deep 
cogitation,  — 

"  Ye'll  hev  ter  kem  over  ter  the  shop,  dad,  wunst  in  a 
while,  ter  advise  'bout  what's  doin'.  'Pears  to  me  like  mos' 
folks  wouldn't  'low  ez  a  boy  no  older'n  me  couldn't  do  reg- 
'lar  blacksmithin'  'thout  some  'sperienced  body  along  fur 
sense  an'  showin'," 


MARY    N.    MURFREE.  297 

The  man  visibly  plucked  up  a  little.  Was  he  indeed  so 
useless?  "  That's  a  fac',  Ike,"  he  said,  gently.  "  I  reckon 
ye  kin  make  out  toler'ble  —  considern'.  But  1'Jl  be  long  ter 
holp." 

After  this  Ike  realized  that  he  had  been  working  with 
something  harder  than  iron,  than  steel  —  his  own  unsubdued 
nature.  He  traced  an  analogy  from  the  forge;  and  he  saw 
that  those  strong  forces,  the  fires  of  conscience  and  the 
coercion  of  duty,  had  wrought  the  stubborn  metal  of  his 
character  to  a  kindly  use. 

Gradually  the  relinquishment  of  his  wild,  vague  ambition 
began  to  seem  less  bitter  to  him;  for  it  might  be  that  these 
were  the  few  things  over  which  he  should  be  faithful  —  his 
own  forge-fire  and  his  own  fiery  heart.  And  so  he  labors  to 
fulfil  his  humble  trust. 

The  spring  never  comes  to  Poor  Valley.  The  summer  is  a 
cloud  of  dust.  The  autumn  shrouds  itself  in  mist.  And 
the  winter  is  snow.  But  poverty  of  soil  need  not  imply 
poverty  of  soul.  And  a  noble  manhood  exists  to-day  in  that 
humble  smithy  "  Way  clown  in  Poor  Valley." 


MES.  M.  E.  M.  DAVIS. 

Down  on  Eue  Royal,  the  next  block  to  where 
they  tell  you,  "  That  was  Paul  Morphy's  house— 
the  great  chess  player,  you  know  ",  just  next 
door  to  the  sacred  ground  marked  "  The  Spanish 
Commendaria  "  on  Mr.  Thompson's  plat,  —  a 
little  more  than  two  blocks  from  the  Cabildo 
and  the  old  Cathedral,  —  right  in  the  center  of 
the  historic  old  French  and  Spanish  quarter, 
surrounded  by  "  the  Sieur  George's  first  four- 
story  building ' ' ,  General  Jackson's  headquarters, 
the  "  Cafe  des  Exiles  ",  Audubon's  Studio,  and, 
in  fact,  whole  blocks  redolent  with  the  air  of 
romance  and  legend  and  historic  achievement,  — 
right  on  this  same  narrow,  antique  Eue  Royal, 
stands  an  old,  time-beaten  brick  house  that  must 
have  had  its  history  and  its  gala  days.  You 
ring  the  bell ;  you  are  conducted  through  a  long, 
bare  corridor  that  ends  in  a  courtyard ;  you  turn 
again,  take  four  or  five  steps,  and  then  you  find 
yourself  passing  through  large,  spacious  rooms 
that  breathe  .an  atmosphere  of  the  days  when 
people  built  houses  with  rooms  in  them,  and  not 
boxes.  A  tall,  simply-dressed  woman  extends 
her  hand  and  greets  you  with  a  smile.  You  look 
into  her  kindly,  honest  face,  you  listen  to  her 
voice,  and  —  you  find  yourself  feeling  wonder 
fully  at  home. 
(298) 


MRS.    M.    E.    M.    DAVIS.  299 

This  is  Molly  Moore  Davis  — Mrs.  M.  E.  M. 
Davis,  the  wife  of  the  editor-in-chief  of  the 
Daily  Picayune — that  courteous  old  gentleman 
whom  all  New  Orleans  knows  as  Major  Davis. 

Mary  Evelyn  Moore,  the  daughter  of  Doctor 
John  Moore,  an  oldtime  Southern  gentleman, 
was  born  on  her  father's  plantation  in  Texas. 
She  began  writing  very  early  in  life  and  pub 
lished  her  first  book  "  Minding  the  Gap,  and 
Other  Poems"  (Houston,  Texas,  1873)  when 
she  was  only  fifteen  years  old.  The  book  was  a 
very  promising  one,  for  a  first  book.  During 
the  Civil  War,  her  father  and  her  brothers  served 
in  the  Confederate  Army,  and  lost  their  home. 
In  her  "In  War  Time  at  La  Rose  Blanche" 
(Boston,  1888),  she  writes  of  the  plantation  and 
its  memories.  Madame  Blanc,  the  well-known 
"  Th.  Bentzon  "  of  the  Paris  reviews,  published 
a  translation  of  this  book  in  France. 

In  1874,  Miss  Moore  married  Major  Thomas 
E.  Davis  at  Houston,  and  in  1875,  they  removed 
to  New  Orleans,  where  they  have  resided  ever 
since.  Mrs.  Davis  has  unfortunately  not  con 
tinued  her  efforts  in  poetry  since  several  years, 
in  spite  of  the  promise  contained  in  her  first  and 
only  volume.  She  has  made  "  name  and  fame  " 
as  a  writer  of  short  stories,  sketches  and  novels. 
Her  negro  dialect  stories  are  among  the  best  in 
Southern  literature,  and  her  novels,  "  Under  the 
Man  Fig"  (Boston,  1895),  "The  Wire  Cut 
ters"  (Boston,  1899),  "  The  Queen's  Garden" 
(Boston,  1900),  and  "  Jaconetta "  (Boston, 


300      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

1901),  have  a  wide  circulation  throughout  the 
country.  The  last  is  the  story  of  a  little  girl 
living  on  a  plantation  just  before  the  Civil  War. 
It  gives  very  attractive  glimpses  of  the  generous 
hospitality  of  old  Southern  families,  and  vivid 
impressions  of  the  State  (one  of  the  Gulf  States) 
just  before  the  war. 

Other  books  by  Mrs.  Davis  are  :  "  A  Christmas 
Masque  of  St.  Koche  "  (Chicago,  1896);  "An 
Elephant's  Track,  and  Other  Stories  "  (New 
York,  1897);  "  Under  Six  Flags:  the  Story  of 
Texas"  (Boston,  1897);  and,  "  A  Bunch  of 
Roses:  Parlor  Plays  "  (Boston,  1903). 

The  following  poem,  "Counsel",  was  origi 
nally  published  in  the  February,  1871,  number 
of  The  Galaxy,  the  former  New  York  magazine, 
over  the  signature  "  M.  E.  M."  (Molly  E. 
Moore).  It  has  lately  been  "  going  the  rounds  " 
of  the  press  (thanks  to  the  stupidity  of  some 
yellow  journalist)  credited  to  Coventry  Patmore. 
Mr.  Patmore  never  claimed  the  poem, — he 
probably  never  knew  of  its  being  credited  to 
him.  He  died  in  1896;  it  is  not  included  in  his 
published  works.  I  herewith  append  it: 


COUNSEL. 
If  thou  should'st  bid  thy  friend  farewell, 

But  for  one  night  though  that  farewell  should  be, 
Press  thou  his  hand  in  thine;  how  canst  thou  tell 
How  far  from  thee 


MRS.     M.     E.     M.    DAVIS.  301 

Fate,  or  caprice,  may  lead  his  feet 

Ere  that  to-morrow  come?     Men  have  been  known 
Lightly  to  turn  the  corner  of  a  street, 
And  days  have  grown 

To  months,  and  months  to  lagging  years, 
Before  they  looked  in  loving  eyes  again. 
Parting,  at  best,  is  underlaid  with  tears  — 
With  tears  and  pain. 

Therefore,  lest  sudden  death  should  come  between, 

Or  time,  or  distance,  clasp  with  pleasure  true 
The  palms  of  him  who  goeth  forth.     Unseen, 
Fate  goeth,  too! 

Yea,  find  thee  always  time  to  say 

Some  earnest  word  betwixt  the  idle  talk, 
Lost  with  thee  henceforth,  night  and  day, 
Regret  should  walk. 


THE  PASSING  OF  TFIE  ROSE. 

What  goes 

With  the  passing  of  the  rose? 
What,  with  the  fading  of  the  grass? 

Alas, 

The  greenness  and  the  glory  of  the  blade 
That  burst  its  sheath,  and  leaped  forth  unafraid, 
Exulting  in  the  sunshine  and  the  shade! 

And  ah,  the  flush 

Of  summer  roses,  vivid  in  the  hush 
Of  moon,  or  pale  with  passion  in  the  night ! 
Perfume  and  color!     Radiance  and  delight! 

The  greenness  and  the  glory  go,  alas, 
With  the  fading  of  the  grass. 
A  rapture  immeasurable  goes 
With  the  passing  of  the  rose. 

What  goes 

When  the  white  eyelids  close? 
What,  when  the  white  feet  pass? 

Alas, 

The  golden  splendor  of  her  hair,  love-blest! 
The  warm  white  sweetness  of  her  pulsing  breast: 


302     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

The  warm  red  sweetness  of  her  curving  lip," 
Whereon  the  smile  that  all  her  soul  confessed 
Dwelt  holily!     Her  voice,  sweet  as  the  slip 
Of  southern  waters  under  southern  skies! 
And,  ah,  the  heavenly  blueness  of  her  eyes! 

The  splendor  and  the  music  go,  alas, 
When  the  white  feet  pass. 
A  gladness  unimagined  goes 
When  the  white  eyelids  close. 

What  stays 

When  the  fair  rose  decays? 
What,  when  the  grass  lies  faded  on  the  sod? 

Dear  God, 

What  stays?    A  singing  sunshine  in  the  brain! 
A  memory  of  hill-slopes  under  rain, 
Bird-wing  and  butterfly  about  the  plain! 
A  dream  of  swaying  stems,  where  roses  red 
Stand  tall  and  stately  in  the  garden  bed, 
Of  petals  drooping  softly  by  the  wall, 
Full  softly,  as  the  snow-white  eye -lids  fall! 

These  blessings  stay,  dear  God. 

Though  all  the  grass  lies  withered  on  the  sod. 

A  glow  imperishable  stays, 

Though  the  fair  rose  decays. 

What  stays 

When  life  has  gone  Death's  ways? 
What,  when  her  marble  breast  upholds  the  sod? 

Dear  God, 

All  things  abide  which  Thou  hast  wrought  for  good! 
What  stays?    The  glory  of  her  womanhood, 
The  joy  that  in  her  azure  eyes  did  brood 
When  at  the  morning  Gate  of  Song  she  stood 
Listening!   The  beauty  and  the  grace  which  filled 
Her  world  as  with  a  sense  of  music,  stilled 
But  lingering,  like  unseen  wings  astir! 
Yea,  more  than  these,  the  stainless  soul  of  her! 

The  brightness  and  the  wonder  stay,  dear  God, 
Though  on  her  breast  has  dropped  the  clod. 
Love  stays!  Love  stays! 
Though  Life  has  gone  Death's  ways! 


IRVING  B.  RICHMAN. 

Irving  B.  Richman  was  born  in  Muscatine, 
Iowa,  October  27,  1861,  and  has  always  lived  in 
Iowa.  In  1887,  he  married  Elizabeth  L.  Green, 
also  of  Muscatine.  In  1889,  he  was  elected  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  Iowa  General  Assembly, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1890.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat.  In  1893,  he  was  appointed  United 
States  Consul-General  to  Switzerland,  by  Presi 
dent  Grover  Cleveland.  He  held  this  post, 
giving  general  satisfaction,  until  1898,  when  a 
political  change  in  the  presidency  took  place. 

Mr.  Richman  graduated  from  the  Iowa  State 
University,  and  has  since  largely  devoted  his 
time  to  the  continuation  of  his  studies  in  law  and 
literature.  Since  a  number  of  years,  he  has 
been  a  practicing  attorney.  For  one  of  his  age, 
he  has  already  accomplished  much  in  the  field  of 
serious  literature. 

His  first  published  work  was  "  Appenzell " 
(London  and  New  York,  1895);  this  is  a  valu 
able  study  on  the  history,  constitution,  and  pres 
ent  condition  of  one  of  the  oldest  democratic 
countries  in  Europe  and  in  the  world.  Says  the 
author,  "  The  history  of  this  land  forms  a  pecu 
liarity  in  the  great  chain  of  popular  uprisings  in 
the  Middle  Ages.  It  shows  more  essentially 
than  does  even  the  history  of  the  Forest  Can- 

(303) 


304     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

tons  the  contrast  between  the  aristocracy  and  the 
people,  between  the  rulers  and  the  ruled"  ;  and 
its  treatment  from  this  point  of  view  is  both 
interesting  and  instructive.  "  Appenzell  "  has 
received  very  high  praise  from  several  leading 
London  and  Edinburgh  newspapers. 

Prior  to  this  work  he  had  published,  "John 
Brown  among  the  Quakers,  and  Other  Sketches" 
(Des  Moines,  Iowa,  1894).  His  latest  book  is, 
"Rhode  Island:  its  Making  and  its  Meaning. 
A  Survey  of  the  Annals  of  the  Commonwealth 
from  its  Settlement  to  the  Death  of  Roger 
Williams,  1636-1683.  By  Irving  Berdine  Rich- 
man."  It  was  also  published  from  NCAV 
York  and  London,  in  1902,  and  is  in  two 
volumes.  How  freedom  of  conscience  and 
political  liberty  flourished  upon  the  Island 
of  Aquidneck  and  that  part  of  the  mainland 
which  joined  together'  made  up  the  old  historic 
Rhode  Island  Plantations,  is  ably  and  interest 
ingly  described.  This  is  probably  the  most  com 
plete  and  accurate  account  that  we  have  of 
Rhode  Island  in  its  earlier  days.  The  amount  of 
researches  made  by  the  author  becomes  fully  ap 
parent  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  abso 
lute  knowledge  of  time,  place  and  circumstance 
which  he  displays  as  his  narrative  progresses. 
He  has  given  us  a  fair  and  unprejudiced  estimate 
of  the  character  and  achievements  of  the  great 
apostle  of  religious  liberty,  Roger  Williams. 
The  work  ranks  among  the  able  and  serious 
histories  of  our  literature.  The  Nation  con- 


IRVING    B.    RICHMAN.  305 

sidcrs  this  book  as  a  "valuable  contribution  to 
American  colonial  history",  and  says  that  it 
is  an  "  unusually  careful  and  important  piece  of 
investigation." 

Last  January,  Mr.  Richman  was  busily  at 
work  on  another  book  which  will  be  published  in 
1905;  its  title  will  be,  "Individualism  and  the 
Rise  of  the  United  States."  He  tells  me  that 
he  will  place  emphasis  on  the  role  that  Western 
and  frontier  influences  have  played  in  the  devel 
opment  of  American  individualism. 


MRS.  SHEPPARD  STEVENS. 

Mrs.  Sheppard  Stevens  of  Little  Rock,  Arkan 
sas,  the  authoress  of  several  historical  novels, 
is  comparatively  a  new  writer,  her  first  book 
having  appeared  a  little  more  than  five  years  ago. 
While  she  has  produced  many  minor  works,  such 
as  stories  and  sketches,  that  have  appeared  in 
the  magazines  and  Sunday  newspapers,  all  writ 
ten  during  her  leisure  hours  —  her  first  ambitious 
effort  was,  "  I  Am  the  King"  (Boston,  1898), 
which  was  very  favorably  and  encouragingly  re 
viewed  by  the  press. 

"I  Am  the  King  "  deals  with  the  time  of  the 
crusades  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  the  doughty 
deeds  of  King  Richard,  Cceur  de  Lion.  The 
title  of  the  story  is  derived  from  an  incident  in 
which  the  hero,  Sir  Godfrey  de  Bersac,  saves 
the  life  of  Richard,  King  of  England,  on  the 
battle-field  by  crying  out,  "  I  Am  the  King!  ' 
and  thereby  directing  the  attacks  of  the  Sara 
cens  toward  himself,  and  so  affording  the  true 
king  an  opportunity  to  escape.  The  story  is  full 
of  action  and  interest 'and  the  style  is  bright  and 
pleasing. 

Mrs.  Stevens'  second  work,  "  The  Sword  of 
Justice"  (Boston,  1899)  is  also  based  on  his 
tory,  but  is  not  as  interesting  as  its  predecessor. 
In  her  next  work,  "In  the  Eagle's  Talon" 
(Boston,  1902),  she  fully  demonstrates  that  she 
(306) 


MRS.    SHEPPARD    STEVENS.  307 

has  devoted  much  time  to  the  study  of  the  cus 
toms  and  manners  of  the  people  of  St.  Louis, 
and  to  the  village  itself,  at  the  epoch  just  prior 
to  the  period  of  the  Louisiana  purchase.  Many 
of  her  characters  are  well  drawn  and  breathe  the 
life  of  the  days  they  lived  and  acted  in,  and  of 
whose  history  they  were  a  part.  There  is  an  air 
of  reality  and  plausibility  about  Louis  Lafreniere, 
Felicite  Langlois  and  Pere  Mallet,  which  is  de 
lightful,  but  when  the  scene  changes  to  France 
and  to  new  characters,  the  authoress  is  far  from 
happy  in  her  delineations.  The  introduction  of 
Napoleon,  and  his  presentation  in  the  role  of  a 
common  seducer  is  a  blunder.  One  regrets  that 
the  action  is  not  confined  to  early  St.  Louis. 

Mrs.  Stevens  was  born  at  Mobile,  Alabama, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Bishop  Pearce  of  Little 
Kock,  Arkansas.  She  resided  in  St.  Louis  until 
the  death  of  her  husband,  William  C.  Stevens, 
in  September,  1903,  after  which  event  she  again 
took  up  her  residence  in  Arkansas.  She  informs 
me  that  a  new  novel  —  her  fourth  one  —  will  be 
issued  in  spring  (1904)  by  a  Boston  book  pub 
lishing  house;  its  title  will  be,  "The  Sign  of 
Triumph." 

THE  HERMIT  OF    FOUCHE. 

No  one  seemed  to  know  whence  he  came,  or  how  long  he 
had  been  there,  when  a  countryman,  more  curious  than  his 
kind,  seeing  the  corner  of  a  shanty  through  the  bushes, 
stopped  his  ox  cart  and  went  down  the  slightly  worn  path 
to  reconnoiter.  The  abode,  which  rewarded  this  trouble, 
would  scarcely  justify  even  the  name  of  l(  shanty,"  and 
after  a  wandering  survey  of  the  then  deserted  dwelling  he 
returned  to  his  cart. 


LITERATURE     OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

"Glang!  "  he  ordered,  emphasizing  his  command  with  a 
crack  from  his  long  whip,  and  he  slouched  along  beside  his 
oxen,  with  a  gait  and  bearing  so  like  their  own  weary  slow 
ness,  meditating  over  the  foolishness  which  had  led  any 
human  being  to  select  such  a  spot  in  which  to  dwell.  Some 
weeks  after,  when  he  encountered  Elijah,  tall,  dark  and 
gaunt,  with  sombre  dark  eyes,  which  seemed  to  burn  with 
a  consuming  fire,  he  ceased  to  wonder,  and  decided  that 
"  the  critter  was  plum  crazy." 

The  spot  selected  by  the  stranger  for  the  erection  of  his 
shanty  might  well  have  given  rise  to  wonder,  even  in  the 
minds  of  the  stolid  country  folks  who  frequented  the  road. 
It  was  upon  the  bank  of  a  stream,  a  fork  of  the  Arkansas, 
known  to  the  people  thereabouts  as  Fouche,  and  in  reality  a 
cypress  swamp,  from  whose  muddy,  currentless  depths  the 
corrugated  cypress  trunks  raise  themselves  high  in  air  to 
end  in  dark  green  feathery  foliage,  arching  over  and  closing 
in  like  a  green  Gothic  aisle  in  one  of  nature's  cathedrals. 
From  root  to  topmost  branch,  the  water  below  faithfully  re 
produces  the  leafy  arch,  and  so  still  and  unruffled  is  the 
surface  of  the  swamp  that  the  reflected  image  is  as  unwaver 
ing  and  as  clear  cut  as  the  original.  Bush  and  water  plant 
thrive  beneath  the  trees,  though  little  sun  strikes  through 
to  help  their  growth,  while  dotted  about  here  and  there  is  a 
curious  root  formation,  the  cypress  "  knee,"  which  presents 
the  appearance  of  an  abortive  tree,  attempted,  perhaps,  by 
one  of  nature's  journeymen,  who  found  his  task  impossible 
of  completion. 

About  twenty  feet  from  the  bank  of  this  stream  had  been 
placed  the  hovel  which  had  given  rise  to  so  much  wondering 
comment.  It  was  built  of  half  rotten,  discarded  boards,  and 
consisted  of  but  a  single  room, whose  one  window  closed  with 
a  wooden  shutter.  The  deficiencies  in  the  roof  were  made 
good  by  a  covering  of  tin,  evidently  constructed  by  the 
laborious  melting  and  beating  out  of  stray  tin  cans.  On  the 
outside  of  the  house  was  a  rude  chimney,  built  of  lath  and 
plastered  with  mud.  Within,  on  a  floor  of  rough  boards, 
stood  a  chair,  table  and  bed,  all  unmistakably  of  home  manu 
facture,  and  evidently  the  work  of  awkward  and  unskilled 
hands.  In  one  corner  of  the  room,  fastened  to  the  wall, 
were  two  wide  shelves.  Upon  the  upper  one  rested  an 
oblong  box,  of  a  size  which  might  have  served  as  a  coffin 
for  a  new-born  infant.  This  box  was  secured  by  a  tiny 


MRS.     SHEPPARD    STEVENS.  309 

padlock,  and  had  evidently  remained  untouched  for  months, 
as  evidenced  by  the  dust  and  cobwebs  which  had  claimed  it 
for  their  own.  Beside  the  open  hearth  hung  an  iron  pot 
and  skillet.  There  was  nothing  in  all  the  room  to  relieve 
its  look  of  bare  poverty  save  scrupulous  cleanliness. 

Had  one  taken  the  pains  to  observe  Elijah's  way  of  living, 
he  might  almost  have  been  led  to  believe  that,  like  the 
prophet  of  old  whose  uime  he  bore,  he,  too,  depended  upon 
the  birds  of  the  air  for  subsistence.  For  the  most  part,  such 
poor  living  as  he  got  came  from  the  muddy  waters  at  his  door. 
He  had  a  bateau  and  an  old  dug-out,  which  he  had  plugged 
up  and  made  sufficiently  sound  for  use,  and  in  one  of  these 
he  daily  paddled  himself  out  on  the  swamp,  to  sit  for  hours 
patiently  fishing  for  the  tasteless  finny  inhabitants  of  the 
water.  When  his  catch  was  larger  than  he  needed  he  some 
times  sold  a  string  of  fish,  and  in  this  way  supplied  the  few 
necessities  of  his  meagre  existence.  Once  or  twice  he  had 
worked  for  a  few  days  at  odd  jobs  for  some  of  the  neighbor 
ing  farmers,  but  they  were  curious  and  asked  many  ques- 
tion-j,  and  so  he  had  ceased  any  attempt  to  make  his  living 
among  his  kind,  and  now  spent  his  days  and  nights  beside 
the  swamp,  which  seemed  but  a  sombre  pc  rsonality. 

"That  pore  crazy  critter  '11  be  chillin  it  'fore  long,  ef  he 
aint  already  at  it,"  remarked  a  woman,  glancing  toward  the 
cabin  in  the  bushes  from  l.er  chair  at,  the  back  of  a  wagon, 
as  the  oxen  slowly  slouched  over  the  long  bridge  leading  to 
town.  "  He'll  git  so  full  er  pizen,  he  won't  stop  shakin' 
this  side  er  judgment."  If  the  chills  racked  his  bones  and 
the  fever  burnt  his  body,  no  one  was  any  the  wiser,  for  he 
endured  in  silence,  growing  perhaps  a  trifle  more  gaunt  and 
yellow  as  the  summer  wore  away. 

The  hours  spent  in  his  miserable  hovel  which  were  not 
uiven  to  sleep  were,  for  the  most  pa>t,  passed  in  prayer. 
Kneeling  upright  on  the  floor,  his  body  sometimes  swaying 
in  ecstasy,  oftener  rigid  with  his  strong  effort  at  self-control, 
his  voice  would  rise  in  supplicatory  cadence  until  it  reached 
a  commanding  frenzy,  in  which  he  besought,  implored, 
demanded  of  the  Almighty  to  help  and  save  him  from  the 
temptation  of  the  devil,  and  the  weakness  of  his  own  heart; 
ending  at  last,  when  spent  and  weary  with  the  force  of  his 
passionate  outburst,  with  a  sobbing  iteration  of  "  Lord 
have  mercy;  Lord,  have  mercy;  Lord,  have  mercy!  " 


LOUISIANA  AUTHORS. 

Francois  Xavier  Martin  wrote' the  first  history 
of  Louisiana — "The  History  of  Louisiana, 
from  the  earliest  period  ",  in  two  volumes  (New 
Orleans,  1827).  This  work  is  still  in  high 
esteem.  He  is  also  the  author  of  a  "  History 
of  North  Carolina"  (New  Orleans,  1829).  He 
was  at  one  time  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Su 
preme  Court  of  Louisiana.  Several  new  edi 
tions  of  his  "  Louisiana  "  have  been  issued;  the 
latest  is  dated  in  1882.  While  residing  in  North 
Carolina  he  translated  and  published  "  Pothicr 
on  Obligations  "  (1802).  He  occupied  the  Su 
preme  Bench  of  Louisiana  thirty-two  years. 
He  was  born  in  Marseilles,  France,  March  17, 
1764,  and  died  in  New  Orleans,  December  11, 
1846. 

B.  M.  Norman  published  in  New  Orleans, 
"  Rambles  by  Land  and  Water,  Cuba  and  Mex 
ico  "  (1845)  and  "  New  Orleans  and  Environs  " 
(1845).  Also,  "Rambles  in  Yucatan  "  (New 
York,  1843). 

B.  M.  Palmer  of  New  Orlerns,  is  the  author 
of,  "  The  Family  in  its  Civil  and  Churchly 
Aspects"  (Richmond,  1876);  "Sermons" 
(New  Orleans,  1876);  "The  Life  and  Letters 
of  James  Henley  Thoruwell"  (Richmond,  1875)  ; 
(310) 


LOUISIANA    AUTHORS.  311 

and,  "  Formation  of  Character"  (New  Orleans, 
1889). 

Edward  C.  Wharton  of  New  Orleans,  is  the 
author  of,  "The  War  of  Bachelors",  a  novel 
(New  Orleans,  1882).  He  also  translated  from 
the  French,  "  The  New  World"  (New  Orleans, 
1855),  and  wrote  for  the  precocious  Bateman 
children,  Ellen  and  Kate,  a  comedietta,  "  The 
Young  Couple"  (1851),  and  a  play,  "Dick, 
the  Newsboy".  Other  plays  of  his  are,  "The 
Toodles  "  (immortalized  by  Ben  DeBar),  "The 
J.  Js,"  "Ten  Thousand  Filibusters",  "The 
Baggs-es",  etc.  He  is  also  the  author  of  a 
biography  of  Charles  Gayarre. 

Alexander  Walker  was  born  in  Fredericksburg, 
Virginia,  October  13,  1819.  He  graduated  from 
the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Vir 
ginia  in  1840  and  removed  to  New  Orleans  where 

o 

he  shortly  abandoned  law  for  journalism.  He 
edited,  at  various  times,  the  Jeffersonian,  the 
Delta,  the  Picayune,  the  Times,  and  the  Herald. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  politics,  and  at  one 
time  was  a  city  judge.  As  a  member  of  the 
State  convention,  he  advocated  and  voted  for 
the  ordinance  of  secession.  Nearly  all  of  his 
books  are  of  an  historical  character:  "The 
Story  of  the  Plague ;  a  History  of  the  Yellow 
Fever  Epidemic  of  1852  "  ;  "  Jackson  and  New 
Orleans"  (New  York,  1856);  "The  Life  of 
Andrew  Jackson  "  ;  "  Butler  and  New  Orleans  "  ; 
"The  Battle  of  Shiloh  " ;  and  "Dueling  in 
Louisiana."  Mr.  Walker  died  in  Fort  Scott, 


312     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Arkansas,  January  24,  1893.  His  "  History  of 
the  Plague  "'  has  been  frequently  reprinted.  A 
new  edition  was  issued  in  the  nineties. 

George  W.  Kendall,  'born  in  Vermont,  re 
moved  to  New  Orleans  in  1835.  During  a 
number  of  years  he  was  the  editor  of  the  Pica 
yune.  He  published,  "  Narrative  of  the  Texan 
Santa  Fe  Expedition,"  2  volumes  (New  York, 
1844),  and  "  The  War  "between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico  "  (New  York,  1851).  During  the 
Mexican  War  he  served  on  General  Zachary 
Taylor's  staff.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  fifties 
he  removed  to  Texas. 

Edward  Livingston  is  credited  with,  "  Systeme 
de  Loi  Penale.  Etat  de  la  Louisiana'1  (Nou- 
velle  Orleans,  1825);  "An  Answer  to  Mr. 
Jefferson's  Justification  of  his  Conduct.  N.  O. 
Batture"  (Philadelphia,  1813);  and,  "Intro 
ductory  Report  to  the  Code  of  Prison  Discip 
line,  etc.,  for  the  State  of  Louisiana"  (Phila 
delphia,  1827). 

Doctor  William  H.  Holcombe,  a  well-known 
physician  of  New  Orleans,  was  a  miscellaneous 
writer  of  both  prose  and  poetry.  He  published: 
"Our  Children  in  Heaven  "  (Philadelphia,  1868)  : 
"The  Sexes"  (Philadelphia,  18(59);  "In  Both 
Worlds";  "Condensed  Thoughts"  (Chicago, 
1889);  and,  "A  Mystery  of  New  Orleans" 
(Philadelphia,  1890).  The  last  mentioned  is  a 
novel  and  its  purpose  is  to  illustrate  the  new  dis 
coveries  in  physio-psychology  and  to  advocate  a 
more  friendly  feeling  between  the  North  and  the 


LOUISIANA    AUTHORS.  313 

South.      It  also  throws  light  on  the  race  problem 
of  the  South. 

Florence  Converse  of  New  Orleans,  has  pub 
lished,  "Diana  Victrix "  (New  York,  1897); 
44  The  Burden  of  Christopher"  (New  York, 
11)00)  ;  and,  "  Long  Will  ",  a  story  of  England 
in  the  time  of  Chaucer  (Boston,  1903).  I  am 
informed  that  she  is  writing  a  novel  in  which  the 
scenes  are  laid  principally  in  New  Orleans. 

William  Darby,  the  New  Orleans  geographer, 
published,  "A  Geographical  Description  of  the 
State  of  Louisiana",  etc.  (Philadelphia,  1816); 
"  A  Geographical  Description  of  Louisiana  and 
Mississippi"  (New  York,  1817);  and,  "The 
Emigrant's  Guide  to  the  Western  and  South 
western  States",  etc.  (New  York,  1818).  He 
also  published  a  large  map  of  Louisiana,  folded 
in  boards  (Philadelphia,  1816).' 

William  Preston  Johnson  (New  Orleans)  has 
written,  "  The  Life  of  Albert  Sidney  Johnson  ' 
(New   York,    1878),    and    "The    Prototype    of 
Hamlet"  (New  York,  1890). 

Miss  Grace  King  was  born  in  New  Orleans  and 
has  over  since  resided  in  that  city.  She  is  iden 
tified  with  nearly  all  measures  looking  to  the 
welfare  of  New  Orleans,  and  has  acquired  an  en 
viable  reputation  throughout  the  country  as  a 
writer  of  short  stories  and  novelettes.  She  has 
written  in  other  departments  of  literature,  how 
ever,  and  her  "  Jean  Baptiste  Le  Movne,  Sieur  de 
Bienville"  (New  York,  1892),  and  "  De  Soto 
and  his  Men  in  the  Land  of  Florida  "  (New 


314     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

York,  1898),  testify  as  to  her  ability  as  a  biog 
rapher.  Other  works  by  her  are:  "Tales  of 
Time  and  Place  "  (New  York,  1892);  "Balcony 
Stories  "  (New  York,  1893) ;  "  On  the  Planta 
tion  "  ;  "  Earthlings  "  ;  "  Bonne  Maman  "  ;  "A 
History  of  Louisiana  for  Schools"  (New  York 
and  New  Orleans,  1893),  written  jointly  with 
Professor  J.  R.  Ficklin;  "  New  Orleans,  the 
Place  and  the  People  "  (New  York,  1896),  etc. 

Beverly  E.  Warner,  of  New  Orleans,  has  quite 
a  number  of  books  to  his  credit:  "  Trou 
bled  Waters:  a  Problem  of  To-day"  (Philadel 
phia,  1885);  "English  History  in  Shakes 
peare's  Plays"  (New  York,  1899);  "The 
Young  Man  in  Modern  Life"  (New  York, 
1901);  and  "The  Young  Woman  in  Modern 
Life  "  (New  York,  1903).  I  am  informed  that 
another  book  from  Mr.  Warner's  pen  will  be 
published  this  year. 

Judge  T.  Wharton  Collens  is  the  author  of  a 
tragedy,  "The  Martyr  Patriots"  (1836), 
founded  on  the  revolution  of  1768,  and  two 
works  on  psychology  and  political  economy, 
"  Humanics "  and  "The  Eden  of  Labor." 
They  all  bear  the  imprint  of  New  Orleans. 

General  Beauregard  (Pierre  Gustave  Toutant) 
was  born  in  St.  Martin's  Parish,  Louisiana,  May 
28,  1818.  He  published:  "  The  Principles  and 
Maxims  of  the  Art  of  War  "  (Charleston,  1863)  ; 
"  Report  of  the  Defense  of  Charleston  "  (Rich 
mond,  1864)  ;  "  Summary  of  the  Art  of  War  " 
(New  York,  1891);  and,  "  Commentary  on  the 


LOUISIANA    AUTHORS.  315 

Campaign  and  Battle  of  Manassas,  1861  "  (New 
York,  1891).  He  also  wrote  a  pamphlet,  "  Re 
port  on  the  Proposed  System  of  Drainage" 
(New  Orleans,  1859).  General  Beauregard 
wrote  admirably,  but  it  is  as  one  of  the  ablest  of 
the  Southern  commanders  of  the  Civil  War  that 
he  must  be  considered.  He  died  in  New  Orleans, 
February  20,  1893. 

Alfred  Roman  published  a  work  in  two  vol 
umes  on  "  The  Military  Operations  of  General 
Beauregard  "  (New  York,  1884). 

Mrs.  E.  B.  Wetmore  of  New  York,  formerly 
Miss  Elizabeth  Bislandof  New  Orleans,  the  orig 
inal  "  globe  trotter  ",  has  published  "  A  Flying 
Trip  around  the  World  "  (New  York,  1891),  and 
"A  Candle  of  Misunderstanding"  (New  York, 
1903).  She  wrote  a  few  pages  of  Rhoda  Brough- 
ton's  «  Bachelor  Indeed  "  (New  York,  1892). 

May  Mount  has  published  two  local  books, 
"Sketch  Book  and  Guide  of  New  Orleans" 
( 1890),  and  "  Some  Notables  of  New  Orleans." 
Her  local  reputation  is  established. 

M.  Sophie  Holmes  ("  Millie  May  field  ")  has 
sung  of  "  Carrie  Harrington  ",  "  Progression  ", 
and  "A  Wreath  of  Rhymes"  —  all  published 
in  New  Orleans.  The  first  book  bears  date  of 

1857. 

Mother  Teresa  Austin  Carroll,  of  the  Convent 
of  Mercy,  New  Orleans,  has  published  a]  number 
of  religious  books:  "Life  of  Catherine  Mc- 
Aulcy  "  ( 1871 ) ;  "  Life  of  the  Venerable 
Clement  M.  Hof bauer  "  (187.7);  three  volumes 


316     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

of  "  Leaves  from  the  Annals  of  the  Sisters  of 
Mercy  "(1881-1890)  5  <incl>  "Essays,  Educational 
and  Historic"  (1899).  These  books  are  all 
published  in  New  York.  "  In  Many  Lands  "  will 
be  added  to  the  list  this  year.  Mother  Austin 
(as  she  is  generally  known)  is  very  highly  es 
teemed  in  New  Orleans.  She  was  born  in  Clon- 
mel,  Ireland,  in  1836;  her  life,  since  her  eight 
eenth  year,  has  been  devoted  to  religion  and 
religious  education.  She  has  resided  in  the 
United  States  (principally  in  Louisiana)  since 
1857. 

B.  F.  French,  who  published  "  The  Historical 
Collections  of  Louisiana",  etc.  (1678-1691),  in 
six  volumes  (New  York,  1846-1853),  and 
"  The  Historical  Collections  of  Louisiana  and 
Florida,  1527-1702"  (New  York,  1875),  was 
a  merchant  in  New  Orleans  for  many  years ;  he 
bought  rare  and  old  books,  and  ran  a  library  for 
a  while.  His  books  were  the  nucleus  of  the 
present  New  Orleans  Public  Library.  He  died 
in  New  York  very  poor. 

Horace  Fletcher  is  the  author  of  "  Menti- 
culture,  or  the  A,  B,  C  of  True  Living  "  (Chi 
cago,  1897);  "That  Last  Waif"  (Chicago, 
1898);  and  "Happiness  as  Found  in  Fore 
thought  Minus  Forethought"  (Chicago,  1897). 

Mrs.  C.  V.  Jamison  is  the  authoress  of 
"  Seraph  ;  The  Little  Violinist"  (Boston,  1896)  : 
"  Lady  Jane  "  (New  York,  1897)  ;  and  "  Toiii- 
ette's  Philip  "  (New  York,  1898).  Also,  "  The 
Story  of  an  Enthusiast"  (New  Orleans,  1888). 


LOUISIANA    AUTHORS.  317 

TV.  TV.  Clendennin,  the  geologist,  wrote  ac 
counts  of  the  "  Bluff  and  Mississippi  Alluvial 
Lands  of  Louisiana",  and  "  The  Florida  Par 
ishes  of  Louisiana'".  Both  were  published  at 
Baton  Rouge. 

Napier  Bartlett  published  three  books  :  "Sto 
ries  of  the  Crescent  City"  (New  Orleans,  1869)  ; 
"  A  Soldier's  Story  of  the  War  "  (New  Orleans, 
1874);  and,  "Military  Record  of  Louisiana" 
(New  Orleans,  1875). 

M.  F.  Bigney  published  "  The  Forest  Pil 
grims,  and  Other  Poems  "  (New  Orleans,  1869), 
and  "Poetical  History  of  Louisiana;  also  Co 
lumbia,  a  Centennial  Poem"  (New  Orleans, 

1885). 

Henry  C.  Castellanos  is  the  author  of  a  local 
book,  "New  Orleans  as  it  was;  Episodes  of 
Louisiana  Life  "  (New  Orleans,  1895). 

Thomas  P.  May  has  t\vo  books  to  his  credit, 
"  The  Earl  of  Maytield  "  (Philadelphia,  1880), 
and  "A  Prince  of  Breffny  '  (Philadelphia, 

1881). 

Frank  McGloin  of  New  Orleans,  is  the  author 
of,  "  Norodom,  King  of  Cambodia  "  (New  York, 
1882),  and  three  pamphlets,  "The  Mystery  of 
Life",  "  The  Being  of  God",  and  "  Belief  and 
Unbelief",  printed  at  New  Orleans  in  1894. 

James  D.  B.  DeBow,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  once  famous  DeBow' 's  Commercial  jReriew  of 
New  Orleans,  is  the  author  of  a  work  in  three  vol 
umes  which  still  has  a  recognized  value,  "  The 


318      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Industrial  Resources  etc.  of  the  Southern  and 
Western  States  "  (New  Orleans,  1853).  He  also 
compiled  two  other  books,  "  Statistical  View  of 
the  United  States"  and  "  Mortality  Statistics, 
United  States  Census,  1850"  (Washington, 
1855).  He  was  born  in  Charleston,  South  Car 
olina,  July  10,  1820.  He  graduated  from  the 
Charleston  College  in  1843.  In  1845,  he  began 
the  publication  of  his  Review,  which  he  contin 
ued  (with  an  intermission  during  the  Civil  War) 
until  his  death  at  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  on  Feb 
ruary  7,  1867. 

Mrs.  Suzanne  Antrobus  of  New  Orleans,  wrote 
a  good  story  of  colonial  Louisiana  under  the 
title  of  "The  King's  Messenger"  (New  York, 
1901). 

Espy  W.  H.  Williams  has  published,  "  The 
Dream  of  Art,  and  Other  Poems  "  (New  York, 
1892),  and  a  pamphlet,  "  Parrhasius ;  or  Thrift 
less  Ambition"  (New  Orleans,  1879).  His 
plays,  "  Witchcraft",  "Eugene  Aram",  "The 
Duke's  Jester",  "  A  Cavalier  of  France",  "  The 
Man  in  Black  " ,  "  The  Emperor' s  Double  " ,  "A 
Living  Lie  ",  "  Green  and  Grimes,"  and  several 
others,  may  be  frequently  met  with  on  the  stage. 
They  have  never  been  issued  in  bookform.  Mr. 
Williams  was  born  in  Carrollton  (nowr  a  part  of 
New  Orleans),  on  January  30,  1852.  He  has 
lived  all  his  life  in  New  Orleans.  He  wrote  a 
play  for  Lawrence  Barrett  and  several  for  Robert 
Mantell  and  other  well  known  actors. 


MISSOURI  AUTHORS. 

Frederick  L.  Billon  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
April  28,  1801,  and  took  np  his  residence  in  St. 
Louis  in  1818.  He  was  in  the  St.  Louis  City 
Council  in  1828,  and  shortly  after  served  two 
terms  as  city  comptroller.  From  1863  until  his 
death  which  occurred  October  20th,  1895,  he 
engaged  in  historical  researches.  He  is  regarded 
as  an  authority  on  the  history  of  the  early  settle 
ment  of  St.  Louis  and  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
Mr.  Billon  published  two  large  volumes  on  the 
early  history  of  St.  Louis:  "Annals  of  St. 
Louis  in  its  Early  Days  under  the  French  and 
Spanish  Dominations"  (St.  Louis,  1886),  and 
"  Annals  of  St.  Louis  in  its  Territorial  Days, 
from  1804  to  1821"  (St.  Louis,  1888).  This 
latter  work  is  a  continuation  of  the  previous  one. 

Peter  Richard  Kenrick,  the  popular  and 
highly  esteemed  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of 
St.  Louis,  published:  "The  Holy  House  of 
Loretto  "  (Philadelphia,  1875);  "The  New 
Month  of  May"  (Philadelphia);  "Anglican 
Ordinations  ",  in  which  he  deals  learnedly  upon 
a  matter  which  had  for  some  time  been  agitating 

O  D 

the  religious  world,  notably  in  England;  and, 
"  Concio  in  Concilio  Vaticano  Habendo".  He 
was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  in  the  year  1806; 

(319) 


320     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

lie  came  to  the  United  States  in  1833,  and  died 
in  St.  Louis,  March  4,  1896. 

James  D.  Nourse  was  born  in  Barclstown, 
Kentucky,  in  181(5.  He  was  editor  of  three  dif 
ferent  papers  at  different  times,  while  a  resident 
of  Bardstown.  He  removed  to  St.  Louis,  and 
in  1854,  at  the  time  of  his  death  (by  cholera) 
he  was  the  editor  of  the  St.  Louis  Daily  Intelli 
gencer.  In  his  youth,  he  studied  both  medicine 
and  law,  but  abandoned  them  both  for  journalism 
and  literature.  He  is  best  remembered  for  his 
t\vo  novels,  "  Leavenworth  "  and  "  The  Forest 
Knight"  (Philadelphia,  1846).  The  latter  is  a 
story  of  the  prairies;  Griswold  in  his  "Prose 
Writers  of  America",  pronounces  it  "a  noble 
work".  His  other  books  are:  "The  Philos 
ophy  of  History"  ("a  clever  little  treatise", 
Tuckerman's  "  Sketch  of  American  Litera 
ture");  and,  "Remarks  on  the  Past  and  its 
Legacies  to  American  Society"  (Louisville  and 
London,  1852).  Twenty,  thirty  years  ago,  I 
frequently  heard  old  St.  Louis  journalists  speak 
very  eulogistically  of  Mr.  Nourse 's  ability  as  a 
newspaper  editor  and  writer. 

Judge  J.  Gabriel  Woerner  is  the  author  of 
several  works,  among  the  best  known  of  which 
are  his  legal  treatises  on  "  The  American  Law  of 
Administration"  and  "The  Law  of  Guardian 
ship"  (1897  and  1898).  In  the  line  of  fiction 
he  has  written,  "The  Rebel's  Daughter",  a 
story  of  love,  politics  and  war.  He  is  also  the 
author  of  a  successful  drama,  "Die  Sklavin", 


MISSOURI    AUTHORS.  321 

which  has  been  produced  at  some  of  the  most 
prominent  German  theaters  in  the  country. 
Judge  Woerner  was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Ger 
many,  in  1826,  and  died  in  St.  Louis  in  1901. 
From  1870  to  1894,  he  was  Judge  of  the  St. 
Louis  Probate  Court. 

Adolph  Ernest  Kroeger  produced  quite  a 
variety  and  number  of  works,  which  taken  alto 
gether,  cover  a  wide  field.  Mr.  Kroeger  was  a 
scholar  and  a  man  of  many  interests,  as  the  bare 
enumeration  of  some  of  his  books  amply  proves. 
He  is  the  author  of  "The  Minnesingers  of 
Germany''  (St.  Louis);  "Our  Forms  of  Gov 
ernment";  "Problems  of  the  Future";  and, 
translations  of  Fichte's  "  Science  of  Knowl 
edge  "  (Philadelphia,  1868)  and  "Science  of 
Rights  "  (Philadelphia).  One  of  his  strongest 
books  is  his  "  Future  of  the  American  Re 
publics".  Pie  died  in  1882. 

Bishop  Enoch  M.  Marvin  of  the  Methodist 
Church  of  St.  Louis,  published:  "  Series  of  Lec 
tures  on  Trausubstantiation  "  (I860);  "The 
Work  of  Christ"  (1867);  "  The  Life  of  the 
Reverend  William  Goff  Caples  "  (1871);  "To 
the  East  by  way  of  the  West  "  (1878) ;  "  Doc 
trinal  Integrity  of  Methodism"  (1878);  "  Ser 
mons  "  (1881)  —  all  published  in  St.  Louis; 
and,  "  Sermons"  (Nashville,  Tennessee,  1876). 
The  Reverend  Thomas  N.  Finney  published  a 
"  Life  of  Enoch  M.  Marvin  ",  and  the  Reverend 
David  Rice  McAnally,  "The  Life  and  Labors  of 
Bishop  E.  M.  Marvin". 


322    LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Professor  John  H.  Tice,  for  many  years  a 
teacher,  and,  in  the  fifties,  Superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  of  St.  Louis,  was  the  author  of 
"  Relations  between  Matter  and  Force  "  ;  "  Over 
the  Plains  and  on  the  Mountains;  or,  Kansas, 
Colorado,  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  Agricultur 
ally,  Mineralogically,  ^Esthetic  ally  Described" 
(St.  Louis,  1872);  "Contributions  to  Meteor 
ology"  (St.  Louis,  1874);  and,  "  Elements  of 
Meteorology"  (St.  Louis,  1878).  He  was  the 
first  "  weather  prophet  ",  and  during  a  number 
of  years  issued  his  annual  "  Meteorological 
Almanac".  In  1854  and  1855  he  edited  The 
Teacher  and  Western  Educational  Magazine. 

Maj.  J.  N.  Edwards,  the  Confederate  soldier 
and  well-known  Kansas  City  journalist,  wrote  of 
"  Shelby  and  his  Men  "  (Cincinnati,  1867),  and 
"Noted  Guerillas"  (St.  Louis,  1880).  After 
his  death,  Jennie  Edwards  compiled  a  work  en 
titled  "John  N.  Edwards",  which  contains, 
among  other  things,  "  his  most  notable  and  in 
teresting  newspaper  articles,  together  with  some 
unpublished  poems  and  many  private  letters; 
also  a  reprint  of  '  Shelby's  Expedition  to  Mex 
ico '"  (Kansas  City). 

The  Reverend  Mosheirn  Rhodes,  D.  D.,  is  a 
minister  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  the  writer 
of  a  number  of  religious  works  of  a  practical 
character.  He  is  author  of:  "  Life  Thoughts 
for  Young  Women  "  ;  "  Recognition  in  Heaven ' ' ; 
"  Vital  Questions  "  ;  "  The  Throne  of  Grace  "  ; 
"  Luther  and  the  Reformation";  "Expository 


MISSOURI    AUTHORS.  323 

Lectures  on  Philippians  ";  "  The  Duly  to  the 
Church  "  ;  "  The  True  Glory  of  Young  Men  "  ; 
and  other  works. 

Nathan  C.  Kouns  of  Kansas  City,  published 
two  very  promising  novels:  "  Arius  the  Libyan  ' 
(New  York,  1884),  and  "  Dorcas,  the  Daughter 
of  Faustina  "  (New  York,  1884).  In  1886,  he 
published,  "Repudiation;  a  Rhyme  for  the 
Times".  He  sometimes  used  the  pseudonym, 
"  Missourinsis  ".  He  died  suddenly  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighties. 

The  late  James  Cox  published  a  dozen  works, 
mostly  of  a  descriptive  character:  "  An  Arkan 
sas  Eden"  (St.  Louis,  1885);  "Omaha  Re 
visited  "  (St.  Louis,  1889);  "  St.  Louis  Through 
a  Camera  "  (St.  Louis,  1892) ;  "  Old  and  New 
St.  Louis  "  (St.  Louis,  1894)  ;  "  The  Carnival 
City  of  the  World  "  ;  "  Missouri  at  the  World's 
Fair  "  (Chicago,  1893) ;  "  Our  Own  Country  " 
(St.  Louis,  1894);  "Won  in  the  Losing" 
(New  York,  1894);  "History  of  the  Cattle 
Industry  of  Texas  and  the  Southwest"  (St. 
Louis,  1895),  and  others.  He  was  the  secretary 
of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  Company 
from  1898  to  1901.  He  died  in  1902. 

Airs.  Sallie  Rochester  Ford  descends  from  the 
Rochester*  of  England,  her  ancestry  dating  back 
to  the  time  of  "the  Venerable  Bede  "  the  histo 
rian,  when  the  name  was  Hoef caster.  She  was 
born  at  Rochester  Springs,  Boyle  County,  Ken 
tucky,  and  married  March  7,  1855,  the  Reverend 
S.  H.  Ford,  D.  D.,  LL.D.  She  is  the  authoress 


324     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

of  "Grace  Truman",  "Evangel  Wiseman' 
"  Ernest  Quest  ",  "  The  Inebriates  ",  "Morgan 
and  His  Men  ",  etc.,  etc.  She  has  been  a  resident 
of  St.  Louis  since  1871.  Mrs.  Ford  has  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  denominational  writer ;  her  "  Grace 
Truman  "has  attained  a  phenomenal  sale.  Dr. 
Ford  has  edited  and  published  The  Christian, 
Repository,  a  Baptist  monthly,  since  almost  half 
a  century.  He  has  published:  "  A  Brief  Baptist 
History",  "The  Great  Pyramid  of  Egypt", 
"A  Complete  Ecclesiastical  History  ",  etc. 

Father  Brennan  (Martin  L.),  the  well-known 
Catholic  priest  and  scientist  of  St.  Louis,  has 
contributed  four  volumes  to  the  scientific  and 
religious  literature  of  later  days,  and  will  issue  a 
fifth  during  the  present  year  (1904).  His  pub 
lished  works  are:  "Electricity  and  its  Discover 
ies  "  (New  York,  1885) ;  "  What  Catholics  have 
done  for  Science"  (New  York,  1887);  "As 
tronomy,  New  and  Old  "  (St.  Louis,  1888)  ;  and 
"  The  Science  of  the  Bible  "  (St.  Louis,  1898). 
Father  Brennan  was  born  in  St.  Louis  about  fifty- 
five  years  ago.  He  graduated  from  the  Christian 
Brothers'  College  in  1865.  He  is  very  popular 
among  all  classes  —  irrespective  of  religious  ten 
dencies  and  views.  His  "  Astronomy  New  and 
Old",  is  used  as  a  text-book  in  many  of  the 
public  schools  of  the  United  States. 

Mrs.  Mary  F.Nixon  Rouletof  Webster  Groves, 
Missouri,  is  the  authoress  of:  "  With  a  Pessimist 
in  Spain",  travels  (Chicago,  1897);  "  Lasca  and 
Other  Stories"  (St.  Louis,  1898);  "A  Harp  of 


MISSOURI    AUTHORS.  325 

Many  Chords",  fiction  (St.  Louis,  1899); 
"  The  Blue  Lady's  Knight  ",  a  child's  story  (St. 
Louis,  1899  )  ;  and  ' '  God,  the  King,  my  Brother' ' , 
an  historical  romance  of  Spain,  in  the  14th  cen 
tury  (Boston,  1900).  Mrs.  Roulet  is  the  wife  of 
Doctor  Alfred  Roulet,  to  whom  she  was  married 
in  1899.  She  was  the  literary  editor  of  The 
Church  Progress  (St.  Louis)  during  several 
years ;  she  formerly  resided  in  Chicago  and  was 
connected  as  a  writer  with  the  Times-Herald  and 
Post.  She  was  born  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and 
has  resided  in  Missouri  since  twenty-two  years. 

Claude  H.Wetinore,  for  many  years  connected 
with  the  St.  Louis  daily  press,  has  published  : 
'•  Sweepers  of  the  Sea  "  (Indianapolis,  1900), 
a  story  of  unusual  interest  on  account  of  the 
picture  presented  of  the  war  between  Chile  and 
Peru  in  1879,  and  as  a  portrayal  of  the  two 
countries  themselves;  "Incaland"  (Boston, 
1902),  a  story  of  adventure  in  the  interior  of 
Peru  and  the  closing  scenes  in  the  Chile-Peru 
vian  war;  "In  a  Brazilian  Jungle"  (Boston, 
1903),  also  a  story  of  adventure;  and,  "  Out  of 
the  Fleur-de-Lis  "  (Boston,  1903),  containing  a 
history  of  the  Louisiana  Territory  until  its  pur 
chase  by  the  United  States,  a  romance  of  the 
World's  Fair  City  (St.  Louis),  and  biographical 
sketches  of  the  men  who  have  made  the  Louisiana 
Purchase  Exposition.  Mr.  Wetinore  is  the  editor 
of  The  Valley  Weekly,  an  illustrated  weekly  of 
popular  literature.  In  fall  he  will  publish  another 
book,  "  The  Battle  Against  Bribery  ". 


326     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Marshall  S.  Snow,  professor  of  history  in  St. 
Louis  since  1870,  is  the  author  of  a  large  number 
of  pamphlets  :  "  La  Fayette  "  (St.  Louis,  1884) ; 
"The  City  Government  of  St.  Louis"  (Balti 
more,  1887)  ;  "  Thoughts  on  Municipal  Govern 
ment  "  (St.  Louis,  1887);  "Higher  Education 
in  Missouri"  (Washington,  1898),  and  many 
others.  He  wrote  the  articles  011  "  St.  Louis  " 
and  "Missouri"  for  the  new  edition  of  the 
"  Encyclopedia  Britannica  "  (1901).  Professor 
Snow  was  born  in  Hyannis,  Massachusetts,  in 
1842. 

John  Henton  Carter  ("  Commodore  Rolling- 
pin  "  )  is  a  writer  of  dialect  verse  and  local  stories, 
which  have  found  some  favor.  "  The  Man  at  the 
Wheel"  is  a  series  of  short  sketches  or  stories, 
giving  the  experience  of  an  old  Mississippi  river 
pilot;  "The  Ozark  Post-Office "  (St.  Louis, 
1899),  is  a  more  ambitious  effort.  The  story  is 
placed  in  Southwest  Missouri  during  the  time  of 
the  Civil  War,  and  the  years  of  reconstruction  that 
followed.  The  characters  are  well  drawn,  and 
the  language  is  homely  and  to  the  point.  The 
locale  is  a  small  country  town,  and  a  farm  among 
the  Ozark  Valleys.  "Thomas  Ruthertou. "  is 
another  work  by  the  same  author,  as  also, 
"  Duck  Creek  Ballads  "  and  "  Buffets  and  Re 
wards  ' ' . 

Professor  William  M.  Bryant  of  the  St.  Louis 
High  School,  is  the  author  of  a  variety  of  short 
works,  dealing  mostly  with  the  philosophy  of  art 
and  literature.  He  has  published  :  "  Philosophy 


MISSOURI    AUTHORS.  327 

of  Landscape  Painting"  (St.  Louis,  1882); 
"  Goethe  as  a  Representative  of  the  Modern  Art 
Spirit  "  (St.  Louis,  1889)  ;  "World  Energy  and 
its  Self  Conservation  "  (Chicago,  1890);  "Eter 
nity"  (Chicago,  1892)  ;  "  Ethics  and  the  '  New 
Education'"  (Chicago,  1894);  "  Syllabus  of 
Ethics"  (Chicago,  1894);  "Hegel's  Educa 
tional  Ideas "  (Chicago,  1896);  "Life,  Death 
and  Immortality"  (New  York,  1896);  "His 
torical  Presuppositions  and  Foreshadowings  of 
Dante's  'Divine  Comedy'  (no  place,  no 
date). 

R.  E.  Lee  Gibson  is  the  author  of  "  Early 
Poems"  (1883);  "Sonnets"  (1895);  "An 
Indian  Legend,  and  Other  Poems  "  (1896)  ;  and. 
"  Mineral  Blossoms  "  (1897).  All  of  these  are 
booklets  in  stiff  paper  covers  and  were  issued  in 
St.  Louis.  In  1902  Mr.  Gibson  issued  "  Sonnets 
and  Lyrics  "  (Louisville)  an  elegant  cloth  bound 
volume.  He  is  collecting  material  for  another 
volume  from  poems  of  his  that  have  appeared  at 
various  times  in  The  Century  and  St.  Louis 
magazines,  The  Hesperian,  and  other  periodicals. 
Mr.  Gibson  was  born  at  Steel ville,  Missouri,  in 
1864,  and  has  resided  in  St.  Louis  since  1887. 
He  is  a  clerk  of  the  St.  Louis  Insane  Asylum 
since  some  fifteen  years. 

Will  Ward  Mitchell,  of  Higginsville,  Missouri, 
has  published:  "  Half  a  Dozen  "  ;  "  Harry  B. 
Leary,  a  Life  Picture"  (1895);  "  Harry  Lyle, 
and  Other  Rhymes";  "  Jael,  and  Other 
Rhymes "(1898);  "  Since  Forest  Died  ",  poems; 


328     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

"  The  Voice  that  is  Still  ",  etc.     Most  of  these 
are  booklets  printed  at  Higginsville. 

F.  Louis  Soldan,  Superintendent  of  the  St. 
Louis  public  schools,  is  the  author  of  "  Ameri- 
kanisches  Lesebuch  "  ;  "  An  Essay  on  the  Dar 
winian  Theory";  and  "Grube's  Method  of 
Teaching  Arithmetic."  He  has  also  edited 
several  works  for  use  in  schools. 

Dr.  James  Newton  Baskett,  of  Moberly,  Mis 
souri,  has  published:  "At  You-AlFs  House" 
(New  York,  1898),  a  nature  tale  of  Northeast 
Missouri ;  "  The  Story  of  the  Birds  "  ;  "  As  the 
Light  Led  "  (New  York,  1900),  a  love  story  of 
Northeastern  Missouri  in  the  sixties;  "The 
Story  of  the  Fish";  and  "  Sweetbrier  and 
Thistledown  "  (New  York,  1902).  Doctor  Bas 
kett  is  an  occasional  contributor  to  leading 
Western  literary  periodicals. 

William  Vincent  Byars  was  born  in  Covington, 
Tennessee,  June  21 ,  1857.  He  has  resided  in  St . 
Louis  since  1879,  excepting  four  years  in  New 
York.  His  books  are  :  "  The  Tempting  of  the 
King"  (St.  Louis)  ;  "  Tannhauser  "  (St.  Louis)  : 
"  Studies  in  Verse  "  (New  York)  ;  "  Babble  of 
Green  Fields  "  (New  York);  "The  Glory  of 
the  Garden  "  (St.  Louis)  ;  "  New  Songs  to  Old 
Tunes"  (New  York)  — verse,  1880-1897;  in 
prose:  "  An  American  Commoner  "  (Columbia, 
Missouri);  "  The  Hand-book  of  Oratory"  (St. 
Louis)  ;  the  introductory  essays  and  biographies 
in  the  twenty  volumes  of  "  The  World's  Best 
Essays"  and  "The  World's  Best  Orations '' 


MISSOURI    AUTHORS.  329 

(St.  Louis)  ;  and  a  number  of  pamphlets,  among 
which  are:  "Homeric  Memory  Rhymes"; 
"The  Salt  of  the  Earth";  "Imperialism  or 
Self-government";  and,  "The  Practical  Value 
of  the  Classics  ". 

C.  L.  Phifer  of  California,  is  credited  with: 
"  Love  and  Law;  a  series  of  Sonnets  "  (1889)  ; 
k  4  Two  Volumes  of  Verse  ' '  ( 1889 )  ;  and  "  Weather 
Wisdom"  (1889),  all  published  in  California, 
Missouri ;  and  "  Annals  of  the  Earth  "  (Chicago, 
1890),  a  wretched  attempt  at  blank  verse. 

Conde  Benoist  Fallen,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  has 
published  several  works  of  a  serious  character 
displaying  critical  ability  of  a  high  order;  among 
them  are,  "  Young  Men  in  Catholic  Life  ",  and 
"The  Catholic  Church  and  Socialism"  (St. 
Louis,  1890)  ;  "  The  Philosophy  of  Literature  " 
(St.  Louis,  1897)  ;  and,  "  Epochs  of  Literature  " 
(St.  Louis,  1898).  Doctor  Pallen  is  also  the 
author  of  two  books  of  verse,  "  Carmina  " 
(London,  1885),  and  "The  New  Rubaiyat  " 
(St.  Louis,  1889). 

Theodore  S.  Case,  editor  of  The  Western 
(later  on,  The  Kansas  City)  Review  of  Science 
and  Industry  (1877-8H),  published:  "Advan 
tages  of  Kansas  City  "  (Kansas  City,  1887)  ;  "  A 
History  of  Kansas  City  "  (Syracuse,  New  York, 
1888);  "Information  for  Investors  in  Kansas 
City  Property  and  Securities  "  (Kansas  City, 
1889) ;  and  other  local  books. 

George  W,  Warder  of  New  York,  and  until 


330     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

lately  of  Kansas  City,  is  the  author  of  "  Poetic 
Fragments"  (St.  Louis,  1873);  "Eden  Dell, 
and  Other  Poems"  (Kansas  City,  1878)  ;  "  Fan- 
tasma,  and  Other  Poems  "  (Kansas  City, 1879)  ; 
"  Utopian  Dreams  and  Lotus  Leaves  "  (London, 
1885)  ;  "  After  Which  all  Things"  (New  York, 
1893);  "  The  Conflict  between  Man  and  Mam 
mon"  (Kansas  City,  1898)  ;  "  Invisible  Light ' 
(New  York,  1899);  "The  New  Cosmogony" 
(New  York,  1899),  etc. 

Miss  Lelia  Hardin  Bugg  has  published  a  num 
ber  of  works  of  a  miscellaneous  character.  The 
list  includes :  "  The  Prodigal's  Daughter  "  (New 
York,  1898)  ;  "  People  of  our  Parish  "  (Boston, 
1900);  "Orchids;  a  novel"  (St.  Louis,  1894); 
"  The  Correct  thing  for  Catholics  "  (New  York, 
1891)  ;  "  A  Lady,  Manners  and  Social  Usages  " 
(New  York,  1893);  "Correct  English"  (St. 
Louis,  1895);  "A  Little  Book  of  Wisdom" 
(St.  Louis,  1897),  etc. 

I  regret  that  want  of  space  prevents  my  notic 
ing  the  following  authors  :  Reverend  William  G. 
Elliot,  Henry  T.  Finck,  Professor  A.  L.  Graeb- 
ner,  Reverend  D.  R.  McAnally,  Doctor  Hamline 
E.  Robinson,  Walter  L.  Sheldon,  C.  F.  W. 
Walters,  Anna  E.  Dugan  ("May  Myrtle"), 
J.  Breckenridge  Ellis,  Conrad  Witter,  Aldine  S. 
Kieffer,  Father  Charles  Coppens,  Edward  S. 
Holden ,  Reverend  Michael  Mueller,  Professor 
Sylvester  Waterhouse,  J.  M.  Greenwood,  Pro 
fessor  S.  A.  Weltmer,  Father  Francis  J.  Finn, 
Lee  Merriwether,  and  others. 


IOWA  AUTHORS. 

Bishop  William  Stevens  Perry  was  born  in 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  January  22,  1832. 
He  took  priest's  orders  in  the  Episcopal  Church 
in  1858.  After  several  years'  connection  with 
churches  in  Boston,  Nashua  (New  Hampshire), 
Portland  (Maine),  Litch field  (Connecticut),  and 
other  places,  on  September  10,  1876,  he  was 
consecrated  Bishop  of  Iowa.  He  is  said  to  have 
received  more  honorary  degrees  than  any  other 
bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States.  He  wrote  several  books  jointly  with  F. 
L.  Hawks.  He  is  also  the  author  of :  "His 
torical  Collections  of  the  American  Colonial 
Church";  "Life  Lessons  from  the  Book  of 
Proverbs"  (New  York,  1872);  "Some  Summer 
Days  Abroad  "  (Davenport,  Iowa,  1880)  ;  "  The 
Church's  Year"  (Davenport,  1881);  "The 
History  of  the  American  Church"  (1890); 
"  The  American  Church  and  the  American  Con 
stitution ':  (1895);  "The  Episcopate  in 
America"  (New  York,  1895);  and  several  other 
works.  He  was  historiographer  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  from  1868  until  his  death,  which  took 
place  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  May  13,  1898. 

Professor  H.  H.  Seerley,  A.  M.,  and  L.  W. 
Parrish,  A.  M.,  of  the  Iowa  State  Normal  School, 

(831) 


332     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

published  a  "  History  of  Civil  Government  in 
Iowa"  (Chicago,  1897).  Since  then,  Professor 
Seerley  (now  President  of  the  Normal  School) 
has  published  a  "  History  of  the  Founding, 
Organization  etc.  of  the  Iowa  State  Normal 
School  for  the  Years  1876-1901  "  (Cedar  Falls, 
Iowa,  1901):  and  several  "  Manuals  ".  Of  his 
twenty -two  pamphlets  I  will  mention  only : 
"Christopher  Columbus"  (1892)  ;"  The  Am 
erican  School  and  the  American  People''  ( 1898 )  : 
"The  Normal  School  Problem  "  ( 1892)  ; 
and,  "  The  Public  School  Curriculum  "  (1903). 

Ex-Major  L.  II.  M.  Byars  of  DCS  Moines, 
author  of  the  popular  song  of  the  Civil  War, 
"Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea'',  published, 
"  The  Happy  Isles  and  Other  Poems  "  (Hartford, 
Connecticut,  1894).  Of  this  book,  Doctor 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  wrote:  "  I  have  found 
my  eyes  moistened  on  reading  '  Baby  Helene  '  ;  I 
felt  my  patriotism  stirred  by  '  Sherman's  March 
to  the  Sea',  and  my  sentiment  warmed  by 
'  Jamie's  Coming  o'er  the  Moor  '  'L  Mr.  Byars 
has  published  a  prose  work,  "  Iowa  in  Wai- 
Times  "  (Des  Moines,  1888). 

The  late  D.  II.  Ains worth  of  Newton,  is 
the  author  of,  "  Recollections  of  a  Civil  En 
gineer  ",  and  Francis  Tomlinson  Johnson  wrote  a 
practical  book,  entitled,  "  A  Talk  to  Mothers  and 
Teachers"  (Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  1894). 

Mrs.  P.  Goldie  of  Sioux  City,  published, 
"  Light  Out  of  Darkness  "  (Sioux  City,  Iowa, 
1895). 


IOWA    AUTHORS.  333 

F.  B.  AYelkie  wrote  of  "Davenport,  Past  and 
Present,  Early  History  and  Personal  and  An- 
cedotical  Reminiscences"  (Davenport,  Iowa, 

1858). 

Mrs.  Isadore  Baker  of  Iowa  City,  is  the 
authoress  of,  "  Sonnets  and  Other  Verse  ",  and 
"  In  Memoriam  ",  both  published  at  Iowa  City 
in  1897. 

B.  O.  Aylesworth  is  the  author  of,  «  Thirteen 
and  Twelve  Others ;  from  the  Adirondack^  and 
Elsewhere  "  (St.  Louis,  1894),  and  "  Song  and 
Fable"  (Des  Moines,  189«>)-  Mr.  Aylesworth 
was  the  president  of  Drake  University,  Des 
Moines,  when  his  books  appeared. 

II.  \V.  Lathrop,  in  1894  the  Librarian  of  the 
State  Historical  Society  of  Iowa,  published, 
"Life  and  Times  of  Samuel  *J.  Kirkwood. 
Iowa's  War  Governor"  (Iowa  City). 

Howard  Carleton  Tripp,  since  a  number  of 
years  editor  of  the  Kingsley  weekly  Tititcx,  is 
the  author  of,  "  Around  the  Fireside  and  Other 
Poems"  (Kingsley,  Iowa,  1894). 

George  Chandler,  Mayor  of  Osagc,  Iowa, 
wrote  "  A  History  and  Civil  Government  of 
Iowa"  (Chicago,  1885);  "Iowa  and  the  Na 
tion"  (Chicago,  1895);  "A  Geography  of 
Iowa"  (New  York,  1898);  and,  "Practical 
Civics"  (Chicago,  1901).  Mr.  Chandler  was 
formerly  Superintendent  of  the  Public  Schools 
of  Osage. 

Charles  G.  Blanden  was  born  in  Mareu^o,  Illi- 


334     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

nois,  January  19,  1857,  and  was  educated  in  Con 
necticut.  In  1875  he  removed  to  Fort  Dodge, 
Iowa,  of  which  city  he  was  mayor  in  1888-89. 
He  is  residing  in  Chicago  at  present  writing.  He 
has  published  :  "  Tancred's  Daughter,  and  Other 
Poems  "  (New  York,  1889)  ;  "  A  Valley  Muse  " 
(Chicago,  1900);  "Omar  Eesung "  (Chicago, 
1901)  ;  and  the  following  booklets  —  all  published 
in  Chicago:  "A  Harvest  of  Reeds"  (1902); 
"  A  Drift  of  Song  "  (1902)  ;  and,  "  The  Unre- 
membered  God  "  (1903). 

George  Shelby  Hughs  wrote  "  Ancient  Civ 
ilizations  ",  set  the  type  himself,  and  supervised 
the  printing  of  the  book.  His  theme  is  —  gen 
erations  pass  away  but  the  earth  is  eternal  (Dcs 
Moiues,  1896). 

Mrs.  Ada  Langworthy  Collier  of  Dubuque,  has 
written  "  Lilith  "  (Boston,  1885),  "The  Shadow 
of  the  Vou",  both  novels,  and  a  volume  of 
poems.  Some  of  her  poems  in  The  Current,  of 
Chicago,  in  the  eighties,  were  unusually  good. 
She  was  born  in  Dubuque. 

JohnPrayshaw  Kaye  is  the  author  of  ' '  Nashti ' ' 
(New  York,  1895),  a  book  of  poems,  and  the 
late  Mrs.  Maria  Wercl  of  West  Union,  wrote,  "  A 
Voice  in  the  Wilderness  "  (Chicago,  1896). 

Nathan  H.Parker  is  the  author  of  several  books 
containing  practical  information  about  five  States 
carved  out  of  the  Louisiana  Territory:  "  Iowa  as 
it  is  in  1855"  (Chicago,  1855):  "The  Iowa 
Hand-Book  for  1856"  (Chicago,  1856);  "The 


IOWA    AUTHORS.  335 

Iowa  Hiind-Book  for  1857"  (Boston,  1857); 
"  The  Minnesota  Haud-Book  f or  1856-57  "  (Bos 
ton,  1857);  "The  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Hand- 
Book  for  1857  "  (1857)  ;  "  The  Missouri  Hand- 
Book  "  (St.  Louis,  1865);  and,  "Missouri  as  it 
is  in  1867  "  (Philadelphia,  1867).  Mr.  Parker's 
books  are  useful  and  interesting,  but  should  not 
be  judged  by  their  literary  merit. 

Mrs.  Alice  Ilgenfritz  Jones  of  Cedar  Rapids, 
was  born  in  Ohio ;  she  has  resided  some  years  in 
Louisiana,  but  the  larger  portion  of  her  life  has 
been  spent  in  Iowa.  Her  first  book  was  "  High 
Water  Mark  "  (Philadelphia,  1879)  ;  it  has  been 
succeeded  by,  "Beatrice  of  Bayou  Tcche  "  (Chi 
cago,  1895),  and  "The  Chevalier  de  St.  Denis" 
(Chicago,  1900).  With  Mrs.  Ella  Merchant, 
she  wrote,  "Unveiling  a  Parallel  ",  which  was 
published  in  Boston,  in  1893. 

Professor  Abel  Beach  of  Iowa  City,  and  teacher 
of  Greek  and  Latin  in  the  Iowa  State  University 
for  many  years,  published  a  volume  of  poems, 
"Western  Airs"  (Buffalo,  New  York,  1896). 

Doctor  William  M.  Salter  has  written  a  "Life 
of  James  W.  Grimes,"  and  Doctor  J.  R.  Gorrell 
is  the  author  of  a  novel,  "  Sins  Absolved"  (Des 
Moines,  1896). 

Liston  McMillan  wrote  "  Alathiasis  ;  or,  Prin 
ciples  of  Christian  Hygiene  "  (Oskaloosa,  Iowa, 
1897). 

Mrs.  Jennie  Hickenlooper's  "Illustrated  His 
tory  of  Monroe  County,  Iowa;  Complete  Civil, 


33()     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Political,  and  Military  History,  etc.  Sketches 
of  Pioneer  Life,  Biography,  the  Late  War,  etc." 
(Albia,  1896),  contains  a  long  account  of  the 
exploits  of  the  Federal  troops  on  the  Missouri 
border  during  the  Civil  War. 

Captain  E.  A.  Hadley  wrote,  "  Cedar  Creek. 
Popular  History  Refuted"  (Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
1898). 

The  author  of  a  "  History  of  Dubuque  County, 
its  Cities,  Towns,  etc.,  War  Record  in  the  Re 
bellion,  Early  Settlers,  etc.",  is  unknown  to  inc. 
The  work  is  very  interesting,  locally  (Chicago, 
1880). 

G.  Walter  Barr  was  born  in  Medway,  Ohio, 
October  25,  18(>0.  His  parents  removed  to 
Laurence  County,  Illinois,  when  he  was  eleven 
years  old.  lie  was  educated  in  Indiana,  and 
then  became  connected  with  the  Columbus,  In 
diana,  Evening  Republican.  He  studied  medi 
cine  and  began  practicing  in  Iowa  some  twenty 
years  ago. ^  He  has  published:  "Idiosyncrasy  of 
Drugs  "  (Detroit,  1895)  ;  **  Psysiological  Action 
of  Kola"  (Detroit,  189(5);  and,  "  Shacklett,  a 
Novel"  (New  York  and  London,  1901).  He 
wrote  the  monograph  on  the  Mississippi  river  in 
"The  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  "  (Oshkosh, 
Wisconsin,  1899),  and  has  edited  and  published 
The  KeoMk  Standard  since  1902. 


MINNESOTA  AUTHORS, 

Richard  W.  Johnson  was  born  in  Livingston 
County,  Kentucky,  February  7,  1827.  He 
graduated  at  West  Point  and  entered  the  army 
in  1849.  He  served  with  distinction  during  the 
Civil  War,  being  wounded,  captured,  exchanged, 
and  into  active  service  again.  He  commanded 
brigades  in  several  battles,  and  was  retired  with 
the  rank  of  Major-General,  October  12,  18()7. 
In  18(58-' (59  he  was  professor  of  Military 
Science  in  the  Missouri  State  University  and 
held  the  same  chair  from  18(59  to  1871  in  the 
University  of  Minnesota.  He  is  the  author  of 
"A  Manual  for  Colt's  Breech-loading  Carbine 
and  Navy  Revolver";  a  4i  Memoir  of  Major- 
General  George  H.  Thomas  "  (1881)  ;  and,  "  A 
Soldier's  Reminiscences  in  Peace  and  War" 
(Philadelphia,  1886).  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
seventies  and  in  the  eighties,  he  was  in  the  real 
estate  business  in  St.  Paul,  in  which  city  he 
died  on  April  21,  1897. 

Former  Governor  and  United  States  Senator 
Cushman  K.  Davis,  while  practicing  law  in  St. 
Paul,  made  a  valuable  addition  to  Shakespearian 
literature  in  "The  Law  in  Shakespeare"  (St. 
Paul,  1884).  Senator  Cushmaii  was  born  in 
Henderson,  New  York,  June  1(5,  1838,  and  died 
in  St.  Paul,  November  27,  1900.  He  was  an 

22  (337) 


338      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

enthusiastic  collector  of  Napoleonana  and  Shake 
spearian  a. 

Monseigneur  Ravoux  is  the  author  of  a  treatise 
on  the  Sioux  language  and  "  Memoirs  ",  and  the 
Reverend  Samuel  McChord  Crothers  told  liber 
ally  of  all  Christians  as  "  Members  of  One 
Body". 

Henry  Wellington  Wack  has  a  novel,  "  Ali- 
dor  ",  to  his  credit.  He  is  a  contributor  to  sev 
eral  well-known  Eastern  magazines. 

Mrs.  Mary  Harinan  Severance,  collected  and 
issued  in  bookform,  "  The  Indian  Legends  of 
Minnesota  ".  She  formerly  edited  The  Literary 
Northwest  of  St.  Paul. 

Edward  Lippett  Fales  of  St.  Paul,  is  the 
author  of  "Songs  and  Song  Legends"  (St. 
Paul,  1887),  a  very  promising  tirst  book.  I 
cannot  find  that  Mr.  Fales  has  published  any 
other  book. 

Eugene  V.  Sm alley  was  born  in  Randolph, 
Ohio,  July  18,  1841.  He  was  educated  at  Central 
College,  New  York.  His  college  days  over,  he 
returned  home.  The  Civil  War  breaking  out,  he 
enlisted  in  an  Ohio  regiment.  After  the  war, 
he  obtained  the  position  of  clerk  to  one  of  the 
committees  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
which  appointment  he  held  from  1865  to  1873. 
During  the  latter  part  of  this  period,  he  was  the 
correspondent,  and  an  editorial  writer  on  the  staff, 
of  Greeley's  New  York  Tribune.  From  Wash 
ington,  he  removed  to  St.  Paul,  where  he  pub- 


MINNESOTA    AUTHORS.  339 

lished  The  Northwest  Magazine  (devoted  prin 
cipally  to  industrial  interests)  from  1884  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  December  29th,  1899.  His 
published  works  are,  a  "  History  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad"  (New  York,  1883);  "His 
tory  of  the  Republican  Party  '  (New  York, 
1885);  and,  "The  Political  History  of  Minne 
sota  ' ' . 

Franklyn  W.  Lee  was  the  author  of  a  number 
of  books  of  poetry  and  fiction:  "A  Shred  of 
Lace"  (1891);  "Senator  Lars  Erickson  " 
(1891);  "  Dreamy  Hours :  Poems"  (1891); 
"Mrs.  Harding's  Eyes";  "Two  Men  and  a 
Girl";  "Mam'selle  Pagaiiine"  (1894);  "  Whis 
pers  of  Wee  Ones"  (Rush  City,  Minnesota, 
189(3),  a  poem;  "  The  Sphynx  of  Gold  "  (Rush 
City,  Minnesota,  1897),  a  poem.  He  died  in 
May,  1897.  He  was  about  thirty  years  old  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  reporter  on 
the  St.  Paul  Dispatch  for  several  years,  and 
resigned  his  position  in  1895  to  take  charge  of 
the  Post,  a  weekly  paper  at  Rush  City,  Minne 
sota,  which  he  had  bought.  With  the  over- 
enthusiasm  of  youth,  Mr.  Lee's  work  was  done  too 
hastily.  Still,  he  was  progressing ;  death  came 
all  too  soon. 

Doctor  J.  H.  Robinson,  the  author  of  "  Nick 
Whiffles  " , "  The  Rebel  Spy  " ,  "  The  Unknown ' ' , 
"The  Disinherited",  "Marion's  Brigade", 
and  probably  fifty  other  popular  novels  and 
novelettes,  died  in  Minnesota  some  time  in 
the  early  nineties.  He  resided  in  Minneapolis 


340     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

twice  in  his  life,  I  am  told;  but  the  best  infor 
mation  I  can  obtain,  leads  to  the  belief  that  he 
was  never  a  resident  of  Minnesota,  but  went 
there,  for  a  few  months  at  a  time,  for  his  health. 

J.  F.  Williams  is  the  author  of  a  "  History  of 
the  City  of  St.  Paul  and  Ramsey  County,  Minne 
sota  "  (St.  Paul,  1876),  and  T.  H.  Kirk  of  the 
"  History  of  Minnesota  "  (St.  Paul,  1887). 

J.  W.  Bond  told  of  "  Minnesota  and  its  Ke- 
sources,  to  which  is  added  Campfire  Sketches  ;' 
(New  York,  1853),  and  Doctor  Brewer  Mattock 
advocated  "  Minnesota  as  a  Home  for  Invalids  ?: 
(Philadelphia,  1871). 

Honorable  M.  K.  Armstrong,  a  pioneer  Da 
kota  Congressman,  recently  narrated  the  lives 
and  achievements  of  "  The  Early  Empire  Build 
ers  of  the  Great  West  "  (St.  Paul,  1901). 

Isaac  V.  D.  Heard,  a  well-known  member  of 
the  St.  Paul  Bar  in  the  seventies  and  eighties, 
wrote  the  "  History  of  the  Sioux  War  and 
Massacres  of  1862  and  1863"  (New  York, 
1863).  Mr.  Heard  served  as  a  volunteer  in 
General  Sibley's  command.  His  book  is  very 
interesting.  I  believe  he  is  dead. 

H.  E.  B.  McConkey  covered  the  same  ground 
in  his  "  Dakota  War- Whoop;  or,  Indian  Massa 
cres  and  War  in  Minnesota  of  1862-63"  (St. 
Paul,  1864). 

Lily  A.  Long  has  published  two  novels,  "  A 
Squire  of  Low  Degree"  and  "Apprentices  to 
Destiny  ",  both  issued  from  St.  Paul.  Miss 


MINNESOTA    AUTHORS.  341 

Long  was  born  in  St.  Paul  in  1860;  she  gradua 
ted  from  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  and  since 
some  years  has  been  connected  with  Ji  St.  Paul 
law  book  publishing  house.  She  has  contributed 
extensively  to  Eastern  magazines  and  literary 
journals. 

Dillon  O'Brien,  a  newspaper  reporter  and 
general  writer  who  died  in  St.  Paul  sometime  in 
the  nineties,  left  three  novels —  "  The  Dalys  of 
Dalystown",  "Dead  Broke",  and  "Frank 
Blake  ".  The  scenes  are  laid  in  Ireland. 

The  Reverend  John  Gmeiner  is  the  author  of, 
"Modern  Scientific  Views  and  Christian  Doc 
trines  Compared";  "  Emanuel  "  ;  "Spirits  of 
Darkness",  and  several  pamphlets.  Father 
Gmeiner' s  writings  are  all  on  religious  questions. 

L.  Pierce,  a  St.  Paul  lawyer,  is  the  author  of 
"  Di  "  (1890),  a  novel.  The  scenes  are  laid  in 
St.  Paul.  For  a  first  effort,  it  is  not  a  bad 
beginning. 

Harriet  E.  Bishop,  of  St.  Paul,  has  described 
the  first  years  of  Minnesota  in  "  The  Floral 
Plome  "  (New  York,  1857).  Miss  Bishop  was  a 
teacher  and  missionary.  She  had  the  reputation 
of  being  a  most  excellent  woman,  —  but  her 
cork-screw  curls,  that  fell  down  on  her  shoul 
ders,  were  simply  wonderful. 


KANSAS  AUTHORS. 

Mrs.  Sara  T.  D.  Robinson's  "  Kansas,  its  Inte 
rior  and  Exterior  Life,  including  a  Full  View  of 
its  Settlement,  Political  History,  Social  Life,  Cli 
mate  "  etc.  (Boston,  1856),  is  a  prejudiced  ac 
count  of  the  "  Kansas  troubles  "  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  fifties.  Mrs.  Robinson  was  the  wife 
of  the  then  governor  of  Kansas,  Charles  Robin 
son,  the  leader  of  the  free-state  settlers,  and  who 
afterwards  published  "The  Kansas  Conflict' 
(New  York,  1892). 

J.  N.  Hollo  way's  "  History  of  Kansas,  from  the 
First  Exploration  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  to  its 
Admission  to  the  Union",  etc.  (Lafayette,  Indi 
ana,  1868),  is  interesting  principally  on  account  of 
the  pages  that  tell  of  the  "  Border  Ruffian  War  ' 
in  which  John  Brown  was  a  prominent  figure. 

John  H.  Gihon's  "  Geary  and  Kansas  "  (Phila 
delphia,  1857)  is  a  history  of  the  administration  of 
Governor  Geary  and  of  the  Territory  up  to  July, 
1857. 

Mrs.  Ellen  P.  Allerton  (Hiawatha),  sung  "  An 
nabel  and  Other  Poems  "  (New  York,  1885),  and 
"  Walls  of  Corn,  and  Other  Poems  "  (Hiawatha, 
Kansas,  1894).  A  railroad  company  reprinted 
the  poem,  "Walls  of  Corn",  and  circulated  a 
million  copies  of  it  in  the  East. 
(342) 


KANSAS    AUTHORS.  343 

Percy  G.  Ebbutt's  "Emigrant  Life  in  Kan 
sas  "  (Philadelphia,  1886),  is  a  narrative  of  per 
sonal  experiences  and  practical  information,  and 
as  such  is  interesting  and  instructive.  It  is  gen 
erously  illustrated. 

The  late  Henry  Inman,  brevet  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  United  States  Army,  is  the  author  of  the 
delightful  books  of  life  on  the  plains,  "  The  Old 
Santa  Fe  Trail"  and  "The  Great  Salt  Lake 
Trail".  He  also  published,  "  A  Pioneer  from 
Kentucky",  "  Tales  of  the  Trail",  and  "The 
Delahoydes  ",  a  story  for  boys.  London  Liter 
ature  says  that  he  gives  us  "a  real  whiff  of  that 
wild  life  of  the  prairies  from  which  Fenimore 
Cooper  and  Mayne  Reid  drew  their  inspiration  ". 
"  In  the  Van  of  Empire  "  (Kansas  City,  1889)  ; 
"The  Ranch  on  the  Oxhide"  (New  York, 
1898);  and,  "Buffalo  Jones'  Forty  Years  of 
Adventure"  (Topeka,  1899),  are  also  from  his 
pen. 

W.  C.  Campbell  narrated'  the  adventures  of 
"A  Colorado  Colonel"  and  other  people  of 
Oklahoma,  Arizona,  etc.,  and  T.  A.  McNeal, 
editor  of  the  Mail  and  Breeze  of  Topeka,  is 
responsible  for  "  Tom  McNeal' s  Fables  ".  Mr. 
Campbell  also  wrote  a  drama,  "The  Ame 
thyst". 

Professor  Eli  G.  Foster,  Miss  Lizzie  E.  Woos- 
ter,  E.  J.  Hoenshel,  A.  M.,  Henry  C.  Fellow, 
Ph.D.,  and  several  others,  have  published  a  large 
number  of  books  adapted  to  school  purposes. 


344      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

John  N.  Reynolds  of  Atchinson,  Kansas, 
managed  to  fall  into  the  clutches  of  the  law  and 
was  condemned  to  serve  a  term  in  the  peniten 
tiary.  He  describes  his  experiences  in  "  A 
Kansas  Hell ;  or,  Life  in  the  Kansas  Peniten 
tiary  "  (Atchinson,  Kansas,  1889).  It  would 
seem  that  there  are  some  things  worse  than  the 
cyclones,  out  in  Kansas. 

Thomas  Brower  Peacock  is  the  author  of  "  The 
Vendetta"  (Topeka,  1872):  "The  Rhyme  of 
the  Border  War.  An  Historical  Poem  of  the 
Kansas-Missouri  Guerilla  War",  etc.  (New 
York,  1880);  and,  "Poems  of  the  Plains  and 
Songs  of  Solitude"  (New  York,  1889). 

Eugene  F.  Ware  of  Topeka,  Kansas,  is  the 
author  of  "Some  Rhymes  by  <  Ironquill' 
(Chicago,  1892),  which  reflect  certain  local 
traits  and  peculiarities  of  the  West;  "  Irrigation 
Laws  of  Kansas"  (Topeka,  189ft),  "From 
Court  to  Court  "  (Topeka,  1902),  etc. 

William  Allen  White  and  Albert  Bigelow 
Paine  published,  "Rhymes  by  Two  Friends" 
(Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  1893),  and  Mr.  White, 
three  years  later,  issued  "The  Real  Issue:  a 
Book  of  Kansas  Stories"  (Chicago).  "The 
Real  Issue  "  contains  fifteen  stories,  some  of 
them  are  excellent,  while  others  are  ordinary. 
Since  then,  he  has  published,  "  Stratagems  and 
Spoils"  (New  York),  and  "The  Court  of 
Boyville  "  (New  York,  1903).  lie  was,  at  the 
date  of  this  last  book,  editor  of  the  Gazette,  of 


KANSAS    AUTHORS.  345 

Emporia,   Kansas.     Mr.  White  was  horn  at  Em 
poria,  Kansas,  Fel)ruar}7  10,  18(^8. 

The  Reverend  Charles  M.  Sheldon  is  the 
author  of  "Richard  Bruce"  (Chicago,  1892); 
"In  His  Steps:  What  would  Jesus  Do?' 
(Chicago,  1897);  "The  Crucifixion  of  Philip 
Strong  "  (Chicago,  1894)  ;  "  For  Christ  and  the 
Church"  (Chicago,  1899);  "Malcolm  Kirk" 
(Chicago,  1898);  "Lend  a  Hand";  "The 
First  Christian  Daily  Paper,  and  Other  Sketches  ", 
etc.  Mr.  Sheldon  is  best  known  as  the  gentle 
man  who  protested  against  the  daily  journalism 
of  to-day  as  being  unchristian.  A  Kansas  news- 
.papcr  publisher  permitted  him  to  publish  one 
issue  of  his  paper  just  as  he  saw  fit  to  edit  it. 
Mr.  Sheldon's  fizzle  will  long  be  a  source  of 
merriment  to  newspaper  men. 

Hattie  Homer  (Mrs.  Louthan),  one  of  the 
best  known  of  the  Kansas  female  poets,  is  the 
authoress  of  "  Poems  "  (Topeka,  1885)  ;  "  Some 
Reasons  for  our  Choice"  (New  York);  and, 
"Not  at  Home"  (New  York,  1889).  She 
edited  a  "  Collection  of  Kansas  Poetry." 

Noble  L.  Prentiss  is  credited  with  four  vol 
umes:  "  A  Kansan  Abroad  "  (Topeka,  1878)  ; 
"Kansas  Miscellanies"  (Topeka,  1889); 
"Southern  Letters"  (Topeka,  188  L;  and, 
"  Southwestern  Letters"  (Topeka,  1882). 

J.  W.  Steele,  one  of  the  editors  of  the  former 
Kanxas  Magazine  (1872-73),  published  "The 
Sous  of  the  Border"  (Leavenworth,  1873); 


346      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

"  Cuban  Sketches  "  (New  York,  1881)  ;  "  Fron 
tier  Army  Sketches"  (Chicago,  1883);  "To 
Mexico  by  Palace  Car  "  (Chicago,  1884)  ;  "Old 
California  Days  "  ;  and,  "  Beyond  the  Missouri  ". 

Joel  Moody  is  the  author  of  "  Junius  "  and 
"The  Science  of  Evil"  (Topeka,  1871).  He 
also  sung  "The  Song  of  Kansas  "  (Topeka, 
1890),  while  F.  T.  Atwood  (Concordia)  gave  us 
"  Kansas  Poems  ". 

William  Herbert  Carruth,  one  of  the  professors 
of  the  University  of  Kansas,  has  rendered  a 
lasting  service  to  his  state  by  the  publication  of 
his  two  books  on  "Kansas  in  Literature" 
(Topeka/ 1900).  • 

W.  E.  Ringle,  A.  B.  (Coffeyville)  and  L.  A. 
Kennoyer  (Independence),  tell  us  about  the 
"Spring  Flora  of  Eastern  Kansas";  Colonel 
N.  S.  Gross  writes  "  The  History  of  the  Birds 
of  Kansas  ",  and  Benjamin  F.  Eyer  tells  us  of 
"The  Birds  of  Kansas";  an  account  of  "The 
Plants  and  Flowers  of  Kansas  "  is  given  by 
Bernard  B.  Smyth;  "The  Geologic  Story  of 
Kansas"  is  told  by  L.  C.  Wooster,  and  Pro 
fessor  S.  J.  Hunter  makes  "  Elementary  Studies 
of  Insect  Life  ". 

William  Elsey  Connelly  has  to  his  credit: 
"  The  Provisional  Government  of  Nebraska  Terri 
tory",  "The  Life  of  John  Brown",  "The 
Overland  Stage  to  California",  "  John  Henry 
Lane  ",  "  The  Kansas  Territorial  Governors", 
"  Wvandot  Folk-Lore",  etc.  He  wrote  "  The 


KANSAS    AUTHORS.  347 

Overland  Stage"   in  conjunction  with  Frank  A. 
Root. 

Miss  Mary  E.  Jackson  is  the  authoress  of, 
"The  Spy  of  Osawatomie  "  (St.  Louis,  1881); 
"  The  Life  of  Nellie  C.  Bailey  "  (Topeka,  1885); 
and,  "Topeka  Pen  and  Camera  Sketches" 
(Topeka,  1890). 

Daniel  W.  Wilder  published  "  The  Annals  of 
Kansas,  1541-1885  "  (Topeka,  1875),  and  "  The 
Life  of  Shakespeare"  (Boston,  1893). 

F.  H.  Harrington's  "  Kansas  Day  "  (Topeka, 
1892),  contains  a  brief  history  of  Kansas,  selec 
tions  from  Kansas  authors,  etc. 

Albert  Bigelow  Paine  of  New  York,  formerly 
lived  in  Kansas.  While  a  resident  of  that  State, 
he  published  "Gabriel"  (Fort  Scott,  1889),  and 
two  or  three  other  works. 

John  Preston  Campbell  is  the  author  of 
"Queen  Sylvia,  and  Other  Poems  "  (Cincinnati, 
1886)  ;  "  The  Land  of  Sun  and  Song  "  (Topeka, 
1888);  "  Mere  of  Medevon  "  (Chicago,  1888); 
"  My  Mate  Immortal"  (New  York,  1890),  and 
other  books. 

W.B.  Felts  published  "  Ei-blanke,  a  Tragedy  " 
(Topeka,  1890);  "  Hernarne,  a  Comedy  "  (To 
peka,  1891)  ;  "  Wooing  Time,  Wedding  Day  and 
Married  Life  "  ;  and,  "  Romancie  ",  a  tale. 

P.  L.  Gray  wrote,  "  Minola,  the  Fairy 
Queen"  (Bendena,  Kansas,  1890);  "Butterflies 
and  Roses"  (Bendena,  1889);  "The  Book  of 


348      LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Ruth"    (Bendena,  1892);   and,  "Lost"     (New 
York,  1889). 

Senator  John  James  Ingalls'  writings  have 
been  collected  and  issued  in  bookform  since  his 
death,  under  the  title  of,  "  A  Collection  of  the 
Writings  of  the  late  Senator  Ingalls,  his  Essays, 
Addresses  and  Orations.  Dedicated  to  the 
People  of  Kansas"  (Kansas  City,  Missouri, 
1903). 

C.  C.  Ilutchiuson's  ''Resources  of  Kansas  " 
(Topeka,  1871),  is  the  record  of  fifteen  years' 
observation  in  that  state.  It  contains  a  map  and 
forty  illustrations. 

Anna  A.  Wright's  "  More  Truth  than  Poetry  " 
is  a  book  of  poems,  rhymes,  etc.,  about  Kansas. 

George  Campbell  wrote  "A  Revolution  in  the 
Science  of  Cosmology";  George  Washington 
Hoss,  LL.D.,  "First  Steps  in  Public  Speaking" 
and  "A  Primer  of  Memory  Gems";  Jesse 
Hardest}7,  "Railroads"  ;  ex-Lieutenant-Governor 
A.  P.  Riddle,  "  Legislative  Practice  ",  and  Pro 
fessor  Walter  H.  Olin,  "  Commercial  Geog 
raphy." 

Frank  W.  Blackmar,  Ph.  D.,  of  the  State 
University,  is  the  author  of  a  "  Life"  of  Charles 
Robinson,  Kansas'  first  governor,  "  The  Spanish 
Institutions  of  the  Southwest";  a  "Study  of 
History  "  ;  "  Sociology  and  Economics  "  ;  and, 
"  The  History  of  Human  Progress  ". 


COLORADO,    NEBRASKA,    AND  OTHER 
STATE  AUTHORS. 

Mrs.  Warren  Wilbur  resided  a  number  of  years 
in  Denver,  Colorado.  She  died  at  Erlanger, 
Kentucky,  in  1895.  While  she  was  Miss  Rosa 
Evangeline  Angel,  she  published,  "  This  Side  and 
That"  (Cincinnati,  1889),  a  volume  of  tender 
and  delicate  poems — the  reflex  of  a  gentle  heart, 
devotional  and  hopeful.  Through  them  all  there 
breathes  a  trustful,  home  spirit  that  appeals 
more  to  the  heart  than  to  the  mind.  Miss  Angel 
sang  principally  of  love,  hope,  children,  flowers 
and  death,  and  some  of  her  best  poems  remind 
us  of  the  gentleness  of  Alice  Cary  and  the  sweet 
ness  of  Jean  Ingelow.  "  This  Side  and  That  " 
is  a  thoroughly  womanly  book.  Her  other  book, 
"The  Subtile  Flame"  (Denver,  1892),  is  the 
biography  of  a  woman  missionary.  A  large 
number  of  Mrs.  Wilbur's  poems  lie  strewn 
through  the  pages  of  numerous  Western  maga 
zines  and  literary  papers,  and  should  be  collected 
in  bookform.  She  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  and 
was  about  thirty-tive  years  of  age  at  ihe  time  of 
her  death. 

J.  F.  Graff,  a  newspaper  writer  known  as 
"  Gray  beard  ",  is  the  author  of  "  Gray  beard's 
Colorado;  or  Notes  on  the  Centennial  State" 
(Philadelphia,  1882),  and  W.  E.  Pabor  has  told 

(349) 


350     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

us  of  *'  Colorado,  its  Fields,  Farms  and   Garden 
Lands"  (New  York,  1883). 

A.  P.  Hill  has  narrated  pleasant  "Tales  of 
the  Colorado  Pioneers"  (Denver,  1884). 

"  Hours  at  Home"  is  a  volume  of  very  ordi 
nary  poems  published  anonymously  at  Cripple 
Creek,  Colorado,  in  1895. 

Verner  Z.  Reed  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Rich- 
land  County,  Ohio,  October  13,  1863.  He  was 
raised  in  the  farming  regions  of  Iowa,  and  re 
moved  to  Colorado  in  1886.  He  has  published: 
"  Lo-To-Kah  "(New  York,  1895)  ;  "  Tales  of  the 
Sun-Land"  (New  York,  1897)  ;  and,  <•  Adobe- 
land-Stories  "  (New  York,  1899).  The  first  is 
a  series  of  tales  of  Indian  love  and  war,  and  un 
like  most  books  of  Indian  stories,  is  not  coarse 
and  trashy.  The  Sun-land  of  which  the  "  tales  " 
are  written  is  Central  America  and  parts  adja 
cent.  Though  weird  and  curious,  the  stories 
seem  appropriate  to  the  locality,  and  are  well 
told.  Mr.  Reed  resides  at  Colorado  Springs  and 
deals  in  mines  and  investments. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Tilden  of  Denver,  in  1896,  pub 
lished  a  work  on  prenatal  influences  under  the 
title  of,  "  Cursed  before  Birth  ". 

Paul  Tyner  who  published  The  Temple,  a 
Denver,  Colorado,  monthly  devoted  to  literature 
and  occultism,  has  published  a  number  of  book 
lets  and  pamphlets  :  '  *  The  Living  Christ ' '  and 
"  Through  the  Invisible"  (Denver,  1897); 
"  Cash  or  Credit  "  (Denver,  1898),  and  others. 


COLORADO,  NEBRASKA,  AND  OTHER  AUTHORS.  351 

W.  H.  Williams  of  Denver,  is  the  author  of 
«  Vibration  the  Law  of  Life"  (Denver,  1898), 
and  Andy  Adams  wrote  "  A  Texas  Matchmaker  " 
(1903). 


Miss  Esmeralda  Boyle  of  Kearny,  Nebraska, 
is  the  authoress  of  "  Thistledown  "  (Wash 
ington);  "The  Story  of  Felice "  (London, 
1873)  ;  "  Songs  of  Land  and  Sea  "  (New  York, 
1875);  "  St.  Cecilia's  Gates  "  (Dublin,  1890)  ; 
and,  "  Distinguished  Marylanders  ".  She  has 
also  published  a  (pamphlet)  story  for  children, 
"  Something  about  the  Letterkins  "  (Dublin, 
1900),  and  gave  the  first  full  life  history  of 
Francis  Scott  Key,  the  author  of  "  The  Star 
Spangled  Banner  ".  She  published  a  novelette, 
"The  Daughter  of  his  Friend",  in  The  St. 
Louis  Magazine  in  1886.  She  is  one  of  the 
daughters  of  Admiral  Boyle  and  was  born  in 
Maryland.  She  has  spent  several  years  in  Eu 
ropean  travel,  and  has  contributed  largely  to 
The  Galaxy,  The  Overland  Monthly,  The  St. 
Louis  Magazine,  The  Hesperian,  The  Army 
and  Navy  Journal,  and  other  periodicals. 

Orsamus  Charles  Drake  is  the  author  of 
"Nebraska  Legends  and  Poems  "  (New  York, 
1871). 

Mrs.  Makeever  and  Mary  F.  Morton  of  Ne 
braska  City,  Nebraska  ;  Maud  De  Vere  Krake  of 
East  Point;  Carl  Smith  (deceased)  and  Charles 
Hahn  of  Omaha,  have  each  published  a  volume 
of  poems. 


352     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Lincoln,  Nebraska,  should  be  noted  for  its 
one-book  poets.  The  list  includes:  Professor 
Schuyler  Miller,  Will  Maupin,  A.  L.  Bixby, 
N.IC  Griggs,  II.  L.  Shedd,  William  R.  Dunray 
and  others. 

Mrs.  Isabel  G.  Richcy  of  Plattsmouth,  Ne 
braska,  sung  of  "  A  Harp  in  the  West"  (Buf 
falo,  1895),  and  in  1899  gave  the  reading  world 
"  When  Love  is  King"  (Philadelphia).  She  is 
collecting  together  her  later  poems  from  the 
pages  of  The  Woman's  Weekly,  The  Twentieth 
Century  Fanner,  The  Hesperian,  and  other 
periodicals,  and  will  issue  her  third  volume  of 
poetry  during  the  present  year.  Mrs.  Kichey 
sings  of  the  gentler  passions,  the  home  moods 
and  aspirations,  and  the  family  ties  which  fill 
the  heart  and  the  life  of  a  woman  whose  years 
have  not  bet'ii  lived  in  the  glare  of  public 
life.  But  she  has  also  her  meditative  and  relig 
ious  moods,  and  her  appreciation  of  nature 
frames,  here  and  there,  in  befitting  words,  a 
calm,  serene  picture  of  wood  and  field.  Mrs. 
Richey's  poetic  genius  was  highly  extolled  by 
the  late  J.  Sterling  Morton,  formerly  Secretary 
of  the  Interior.  She  was  born  in  Missouri 
in  18(33,  moved  to  Iowa  when  three  years  old. 
She  is  married,  and  has  lived  in  Nebraska  since  a 
number  of  years. 

William  J.  Bryan,  of  Lincoln,  is  the  author 
of  "First  Battle  for  Silver",  etc.;  Daniel 
Stephens,  of  Fremont,  of  the  interesting  "  Silas 
Cobb"  ;  William  Leightou,  of  Omaha,  of  a  novel ; 


COLORADO,  NEBRASKA,  AND  OTHER  AUTHORS.  353 

and  the  late  Elbert  R.   Tingley,  of  Lincoln,  of 
"  Poco  Loco  ". 

William  E.  Broadfield  wrote  *•  Stories  of 
Omaha.  Historical  Sketches  of  the  Midland 
City  "  (Omaha,  Nebraska,  1898). 


Judge  William  F.  Pope's  reminiscences  of 
Arkansas  are  published  under  the  following 
title  :  '«  Early  Days  in  Arkansas;  Being  for  the 
Most  Part  the  Personal  Recollections  of  an  Old 
Settler  —  dedicated  to  the  Memory  of  those 
Early  Settlers  who,  through  Trials,  Disasters 
and  Dangers,  carved  out  Statehood  and  placed 
Another  Star  on  the  Elag  of  the  Union.  By 
Judge  Wm.  F.  Pope.  Edited  by  his  son,  Dun- 
bar  H.  Pope,  with  an  Introduction  by  Hon.  Sam. 
W.  Williams,  of  the  Little  Rock  Bar.  Illus 
trated."  (Little  Rock,  Arkansas.)  This  work 
is  of  historical  value. 

Fay  Hempstead's  "  A  Pictorial  History  of 
Arkansas:  from  the  Earliest  Times  to  1890" 
(St.  Louis,  1890),  is  a  work  worthy  of  serious 
consideration. 

Doctor  T.  J.  Sheldon  of  Little  Rock,  has 
given  his  theory  of  ««  The  Law  of  Vibrations" 
(Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  1898). 


May  Phillipps  Tatro  is  the  authoress  of 
44  Thanksgiving  Souvenir"  (Westport,  South 
Dakota,  1895). 

23 


354     LITERATURE    OF    LOUISIANA    TERRITORY. 

Freeman  A.  Miller,  A.M.,  professor  of  Eng 
lish  language  and  literature  in  the  Agricultural 
and  Mechanical  College  of  Oklahoma  Territory, 
published  "Oklahoma  and  Other  Poems" 
(Buffalo,  New  York,  1895).  This  is  very  prob 
ably  the  first  published  book  by  an  Oklahoma 
author. 


THE  END. 


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